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BARNES'    CENTENARY  HISTORY. 


ONE 


HUNDRED   TEARS 


OP 


BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF 


BARNES'  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  FOR  SCHOOLS, 


(UNIVERSITY 


.  8.  BARNES    &    COMPAISf 

NEW  YORK,  CHICAGO,  AND  NEW  ORLEANS. 
1876. 


COPYKIGHT,  1875,  A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO. 


UNIVERSITY 


PREFACE. 


OUR  centuries  ago,  it  was  not  known  that  the  earth  is  round,  much 
less  that  so  vast  an  ocean  awaited  a  Columbus  and  a  new  con 
tinent  a  Cabot.  North  America  was  then  a  wilderness,  and  its 
inhabitants  were  savages.  The  story  of  its  marvelous  development 
is  now  to  open  before  us.  It  will  be  ours  to  tell  it,  not  in  a  dull,  dry-as-dust 
style,  but  with  somewhat  of  the  earnestness  of  the  men  who  cut  down  the 
primeval  forest ;  and  the  fire  of  the  soldiers  who  first  subdued  the  heathen 
possessor  and  at  last  drove  out  the  British  invader.  We  shall  find  every  hard 
fact  to  be  brightened  with  the  romance  of  real  life,  than  which  nothing  is 
more  stirring,  and  every  era  of  our  history  to  be  full  of  patriotic  devotion  and 
heroic  endeavor.  Looking  back  from  our  standpoint  of  the  years,  we  shall 
see  plain  men  of  many  nationalities  working  on,  all  unconsciously  laying 
the  foundation  of  a  new  empire ;  yet,  under  the  guidance  of  a  Hand  reached 
down  from  above,  building  wiser  than  they  knew,  and  establishing  a  home  for 
liberty — civil  and  religious — its  first  in  the  wide  world. 

America  was  discovered  just  at  the  close  of  the  fifteenth  century.  The 
sixteenth  was  spent  in  numerous  explorations  and  attempts  by  the  Spanish, 
the  English,  and  the  French  to  settle  and  get  possession  of  this  splendid  prize 
of  a  continent.  The  seventeenth  century  was  one  of  colonization.  It  wit 
nessed  the  establishment  of  all  the  thirteen  colonies  except  Georgia.  Re 
ligious  and  political  refugees  flocked  to  this  fair  land  of  promise.  The 
advance  guard  of  civilization  planted  its  standard  from  the  "  River  of  May  " 
on  the  south  to  the  "  Great  River  of  Canada  "  on  the  north.  The  Cavalier 
found  a  home  pn  the  Potomac,  the  Puritan  on  Cape  Cod,  the  Huguenot  on 
the  Cooper,  and  the  Quaker  on  the  Delaware.  With  a  strange  misappre 
hension  of  the  extent  of  the  territory  bestowed,  and  a  curious  jealousy  of 
rival  nations,  all  the  English  grants  extended  westward  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Pacific,  the  French  southward  from  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf,  and  the 
Spanish  northward  from  the  Gulf  to  the  Arctic  Ocean.  Nearly  three-quarters 
of  the  eighteenth  century  was  occupied  in  crystallizing  the  scattered  settle 
ments  into  colonies  regularly  organized  and  governed,  and  in  the  struggles 
of  the  English  to  get  control  of  the  continent. 


PREFACE. 

This  preparatory  work  was  the  ante-natal  growth  of  the  republic  which 
was  born  July  4,  1776.  It  is  therefore  treated  in  the  Introduction  as  a  neces 
sary  prelude  to  the  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  AMERICAN  INDEPENDENCE. 

This  relation  of  great  colonial  contests  is  followed  by  a  chapter  on  the 
manners  and  customs  of  "  ye  olden  tyme."  Here  are  portrayed  the  curious  laws, 
the  quaint  habits,  and  the  strange  attire,  which  have  now  all  passed  away. 

Part  II.,  embracing  the  Revolutionary  War,  begins  the  book  proper.  Here 
will  be  found  a  narrative  of  those  years  of  waiting  and  sacrifice  during  which 
the  nation  achieved  its  independence.  The  battles  are  described  with  unusual 
fulness,  as  becomes  these  centennial  times  and  the  interest  every  locality  will 
naturally  possess  in  the  events  of  its  own  neighborhood.  Anecdotes  and  inci 
dents  illustrative  of  the  feelings  of  the  day  are  freely  interspersed.  Accurate 
maps  and  diagrams  enable  the  reader  to  trace  easily  every  campaign,  while  a 
calendar  indicates  the  important  events  of  every  day  throughout  the  eventful 
struggle.  . 

Part  III.  covers  the  Constitutional  History  of  the  country,  embracing  the 
formation  of  the  Constitution  and  the  gradual  development  of  the  nation 
down  to  1860.  This  is  detailed  in  four  chapters  of  two  decades  each,  indi 
cating  as  many  different  stages  of  growth  and  characteristic  ideas.  It  has 
two  great  episodes  :  the  war  of  1812-14,  which  secured  for  the  young  Repub 
lic  the  respect  of  foreign  nations  ;  and  the  war  with  Mexico,  which  gave  to  it 
New  Mexico  and  California,  and  let  the  tides  of  emigration  pour  into  the  El 
Dorado  of  the  West. 

Part  IV.  treats  of  the  Civil  War,  which  resulted  in  the  abolition  of  slavery 
and  the  centralization  of  the  governing  power.  Part  V.  narrates  the  import 
ant  events  which  have  occurred  within  the  last  decade. 

In  preparing  this  story  of  our  past,  no  pains  have  been  spared  to  gather 
the  best  material  from  every  source.  The  most  reliable  authorities  have 
been  consulted,  recent  investigations  have  been  examined,  and  the  ripest 
fruits  of  historical  research  have  been  carefully  gathered. 

It  has  seemed  that  a  narrative  so  full  of  picturesque  incident  and  roman 
tic  adventure,  should  sweep  the  reader  along  as  by  a  charm  and  a  fascination  ; 
that  a  history  so  pregnant  with  pure  thought  and  high  endeavor,  should 
awaken  the  sympathy  and  arouse  the  ambition  of  the  most  sluggish ;  and  that 
a  freedom  which  has  cost  so  much  sweat  of  brain  and  blood,  so  much 
treasure  of  money  and  life,  should  grow  inexpressibly  precious.  Thus  may  the 
outcome  of  this  fresh  attempt  to  tell  the  story  of  our  Independence  be  a  truer 
reverence  for  the  past,  a  purer  patriotism  for  the  present,  and  a  more  hopeful 
outlook  for  the  future. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


PART    L-IHTRODUCTIOH. 


CHAPTER   I. 

EARLY    HISTORY   OF   AMERICA. 

Prehistoric  Peoples — The  Mound  Builders — The  North  American  Indians — In-  PAGE 
dian  Dialects — Indian  Picture-Writing — Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Indians 
— Discovery  of  America — The  Northmen — The  Problem  of  the  Age — Geo 
graphical  Knowledge  in  the  Fifteenth  Century — Christopher  Columbus — His 
Expedition — The  Voyage — The  New  World  Discovered — The  Return  to 
Spain — Subsequent  Voyages  of  Columbus — Death  of  Columbus — The  Ca- 
bots — Vasco  de  Gama — Amerigo  Vespucci— The  New  World  Named 9-26 

CHAPTER   II. 

EXPLORATIONS  AND   SETTLEMENTS. 

Ponce  de  Leon — Balboa  Discovers  the  Pacific  Ocean — Discovery  of  the  Mis 
sissippi — French  Explorations — Verazzani — Cartier  Discovers  the  St.  Law 
rence — Coligny  Plans  a  Colony — Ribaut  Lands  at  Port  Royal — Failure  of 
the  Colony  and  its  Fate — Laudonniere  Ascends  the  St.  John's  River — 
Founding  of  St.  Augustine — Cruelty  of  Melendez — English  Explorations 
and  Settlements — Frobisher — Drake  in  the  Pacific — Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert 
— Sir  Walter  Raleigh  Secures  the  Patent  of  Virginia — The  Colony  of 
Roanoke — Settlement  of  Virginia — Captain  John  Smith — Virginia  in  the  Sev 
enteenth  Century — Settlement  of  Maryland — Settlement  of  Plymouth  Colony 
— The  Pilgrims— Settlement  of  Massachusetts  Bay— Religious  Disturbances 
— Roger  Williams  Banished — Union  of  the  Colonies — Difficulties  with  the 
Indians — Salem  Witchcraft — Settlement  of  Connecticut — Settlement  of  New 
York — New  Netherland — The  Redemptioners — Minuits  Purchases  Man 
hattan  Island — Administration  of  Governor  Stuyvesant — New  York  Sur 
rendered  to  the  English— Death  of  Leisler— Berkeley  and  Carteret  Found 
New  Jersey— Settlement  of  Pennsylvania— William  Penn— Settlement  of  the 
Carolinas — Charleston  Founded — The  Huguenots — Settlement  of  Georgia — 

Savannah  Founded — Contests  with  the  Spaniards 27-66 

7 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   III. 

COLONIAL  WARS. 

New  France: — The  Jesuit  Missionaries  and  their  Labors — Champlain — Mar-  PAGE 
quette — La  Salle — French  Settlements  in  the  Seventeenth  Century — King 
William's  War — Atrocities  of  the  Indians — The  Attack  on  Schenectady— 
Descents  on  Haverhill  and  Deerfield — French  Policy  in  the  West — Wash 
ington's  Journey  to  Fort  le  Bceuf — His  Return  and  its  Perils — Capitula 
tion  of  Fort  Necessity — The  Proposed  Confederation — Defeat  of  Braddock 
— Conquest  of  Acadia — Crown  Point — Reduction  of  Fort  William  Henry 
—Fort  du  Quesne  Captured  by  the  English — Louisburg  Retaken — Wolfe 
Lays  Siege  to  Quebec — Capture  of  Quebec — Death  of  Wolfe  and  Mont- 
calm — Conspiracy  of  Pontiac — The  Long  Struggle  Cements  the  Colonies.  67-83 

CHAPTER   IV. 

COLONIAL  LIFE. 

The  Colonies — Their  Extent  and  Population — Agriculture — Manufactures — 
Commerce — Scarcity  of  Money — The  First  Mint — The  Pine-Tree  Money — 
Introduction  of  the  Printing-Press — Mode  of  Travel — The  Postal  System 
—  Progress  of  Education — Founding  of  Yale  College — Free  Schools  Estab 
lished — Education  in  New  York — Education  in  the  South. — Colleges  at  the 
Opening  of  the  Revolution — New  England  in  the  Seventeenth  Century — 
Manners  and  Customs — Modes  of  Punishment — Early  Meeting-Houses — 
A  Puritan  Sabbath— Fast  and  Thanksgiving  Days — A  Thanksgiving  in 
Connecticut — The  Houses  of  Early  Times — Family  Life — Social  Distinc 
tions — Training-Day — Dress  and  Jewelry — Sumptuary  Laws — Wages — 
Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Dutch — Colonial  Life  in  the  South 84-130 


PART  II—  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


CHAPTER  I. 

ALIENATION    OF   THE   COLONIES. 

Injustice  of  England  toward  the  Colonies — Arbitrary  Restrictions  Imposed  on 
Commerce  and  Manufactures — Taxation  of  the  Colonies  Proposed — Writs 
of  Assistance — The  Stamp  Act — Speech  of  Patrick  Henry — The  Mutiny 
Act — Opposition  and  Excitement  of  the  People — Resistance  in  North 
Carolina— Franklin  before  the  House  of  Commons — General  Gage  arrives 
in  Boston — The  Boston  Massacre— The  Regulators  Defeated  at  Alamance 
Creek — Tea  Destroyed  at  Boston — Retaliatory  Measures  Adopted— Com 
mittees  of  Correspondence  Appointed — Meeting  of  the  First  Continental 
Congress — State  of  the  Country 131-145 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   II. 

OPENING   OF   THE  WAR. 

Movements  in  Boston — Lexington  and  Concord — Gathering  of  the  Militia — The  PAGE 
British  Flight  to  Charlestown — Assembling  of  Troops  at  Cambridge — 
Ethan  Allen  Captures  Ticonderoga — Meeting  of  the  Second  Continental 
Congress — Reinforcement  of  the  British  at  Boston — Martial  Law  Declared 
— Bunker  Hill  Occupied — The  Preparations  for  Defence — Battle  of  Bun 
ker  Hill— Results  of  the  Battle— Effect  of  the  Battle  on  the  Patriots- 
Washington  Assumes  Command  of  the  Army — Number  and  Condition  of 
the  Troops  at  Cambridge — Boston  Besieged — Events  Elsewhere — Affairs 
in  New  York  and  the  Carolinas — Foreign  Mercenaries  Sought  by  England 
— Arnold's  Expedition  against  Quebec — Siege  of  Quebec — Death  of  Mont 
gomery — Canada  Abandoned 146-165 


CHAPTER   III. 

INDEPENDENCE  YEAR— 1776. 

Condition  of  the  Army — The  British  Evacuate  Boston — Movements  in  North 
Carolina — The  Attack  on  Fort  Moultrie — Thomas  Paine  Espouses  the 
Cause — Declaration  of  Independence — Popular  Rejoicing  in  Philadelphia 
— Appearance  of  the  British  before  New  York — Battle  of  Long  Island — 
The  Retreat  from  Long  Island — Execution  of  Nathan  Hale— Occupation  of 
Harlem  Heights — Operations  in  the  Highlands — Fort  Washington  Taken 
by  the  British — The  Retreat  through  New  Jersey — Capture  of  General  Lee 
— Barbarities  of  the  Hessians — The  Campaign  in  Pennsylvania — Battle  of 
Trenton — State  of  the  Finances — Robert  Morris 166-195 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THIRD    YEAR   OF   THE   REVOLUTION— 1777. 

The  Campaign  in  New  Jersey — Battle  of  Princeton — Renewed  Hopes  of  the 
Patriots — Franklin  as  Commissioner  to  France  and  his  Success — Lafayette 
espouses  the  American  Cause — England  secures  Hessian  Auxiliaries — 
British  Plan  of  Campaign  for  1777 — Evacuation  of  Fort  Ticonderoga — 
Battle  of  Oriskany — Origin  of  American  Flag — Relief  of  Fort  Schuyler — 
Battle  of  Bennington — Death  of  Jane  McCrea — First  Battle  of  Saratoga — 
Second  Battle  of  Saratoga — Death  of  General  Fraser — Surrender  of  Bur- 
goyne — Narrative  of  Madame  Riedesel — The  Campaign  in  Pennsylvania 
— Battle  of  Brandywine — Massacre  at  Paoli — Battle  of  Germantown — 
Events  about  New  York — Depredations  of  the  British  in  Connecticut — 
Capture  of  General  Prescott — Burning  of  Kingston,  N.  Y. — Capture  of 

Fort  Mercer — Washington  encamps  at  Valley  Forge 196-246 

9 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   V. 

FOURTH    YEAR   OF   THE   REVOLUTION— 1778. 

Camp  at  Valley  Forge — Battle  of  the  Kegs— Light-Horse  Harry — Demoraliza-  PAGE 
tion  of  the  People — Demoralization  of  the  Army — Intrigues  against  Wash 
ington — The  Comvay  Cabal — Arrival  of  Baron  Steuben — Alliance  with 
France — Efforts  at  Conciliation — Battle  of  Monmouth — Heroism  of  Mary 
Pitcher — Attempt  to  Recover  Rhode  Island — Massacre  at  Wyoming — 
Operations  in  the  West — Indian  Atrocities  in  New  York — The  Johnsons 
and  the  Six  Nations — Operations  in  the  South — Capture  of  Savannah  by 
the  British— Exploits  of  Sergeant  Jasper 247-269 

CHAPTER   VI. 

FIFTH    YEAR   OF  THE   REVOLUTION— 1779. 

Campaign  in  Georgia  and  South  Carolina — British  Depredations  in  South 
Carolina — Operations  in  New  York  and  Connecticut — General  Putnam  at 
Horse  Neck — Capture  of  Stony  Point — Capture  of  Paulus  Hook — Expe 
dition  against  Fort  Castine — Battle  of  Chemung — Subjugation  of  the  Six 
Nations — Attack  upon  Savannah — Exploit  of  Colonel  White — Operations 
of  the  American  Navy — Paul  Jones — Capture  of  the  Serapis 270-282 

CHAPTER  VII. 

SIXTH    YEAR  OF  THE   REVOLUTION— 1780. 

Depression  of  the  Country — Siege  and  Surrender  of  Charleston — Subjugation 
of  South  Carolina — Partisan  Warfare  in  the  Carolinas — Exploits  of  Marion 
and  his  Men — Operations  of  Tarleton — Patriotism  of  Nancy  Hart — Sum- 
ter's  Attack  at  Hanging^  Rock — General  Gates  assumes  Command  in  the 
South— His  Defeat  at  Camden— Death  of  DeKalb— Battle  of  King's 
Mountain — Activity  of  Marion  and  Sumter — Operations  around  New 
York — Knyphausen  in  the  Jerseys — Treason  of  Benedict  Arnold — Trial 
and  Execution  of  Major  Andre — Adventure  of  John  Champe — Arrival  of 
Reinforcements  from  France 283-305 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   LAST   YEAR  OF  THE   REVOLUTION— 1781. 

Disaffection  of  the  Continental  Troops — Robert  Morris  appointed  Financial 
Agent — General  Greene  assumes  Command  in  the  South — Battle  of  Cow- 
pens — Patriotism  of  Elizabeth  Steele — Battle  of  Guilford  Court-House — 
Emily  Geiger — Execution  of  Colonel  Hayne — Arnold  Invades  Virginia — 
British  Detestation  of  Arnold — Cornwallis  in  Virginia — Events  Elsewhere 
— Siege  of  Yorktown — Surrender  of  Cornwallis — End  of  the  War — With 
drawal  of  the  British  Army — Washington's  Farewell  to  the  Army 306-324 

10 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


PART  IIL— THE  COH3TITUTIOHAL  PERIOD. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

THE  DEVELOPMENT  OT  THE  REPUBLIC. 

Condition  of  the  Country  at  the  Close  of  the  War — Conflict  of  Interests  between  PAGE 
the  States — Meeting  of  the  Constitutional  Convention — The  New  Constitu 
tion  Formed  and  Adopted — George  Washington  elected  President — The 
Inauguration — The  First  Congress — The  First  Cabinet — Political  Parties — 
Hamilton's  Financial  Policy — Troubles  with  the  Indians  in  the  North 
west — The  Second  Congress — Washington  Re-elected — American  Sympa 
thy  with  the  French  Revolution — The  Jay  Treaty — Vermont,  Kentucky, 
and  Tennessee  admitted  to  the  Union — Declination  of  a  Third  Term  by 
Washington — Success  of  his  Administrations — Social  Observances — Elec 
tion  of  John  Adams — Threatened  Difficulty  with  France — The  Alien  and 
Sedition  Laws  —  Death  of  Washington  —  Washington  City  in  1800 — 
Churches  Founded  in  the  Eighteenth  Century — The  First  Cotton  Mill  in 
the  United  States — Eli  Whitney  Invents  the  Cotton-Gin — Manners  and 
Customs  at  the  Close  of  the  Eighteenth  Century 325-353 


CHAPTER   X. 

AMERICAN    NATIONALITY   ASSURED— 1800-1820. 

Election  of  Thomas  Jefferson  as  President — His  Cabinet — His  Policy — Repeal 
of  the  Sedition  Act — Ohio  admitted  to  the  Union— Acquisition  of  Lou 
isiana — Extent  of  Louisiana — Expedition  against  Tripoli — Death  of  Alex 
ander  Hamilton — Re-election  of  Jefferson — John  Randolph — Trial  of 
Aaron  Burr — Fulton  and  the  First  Steamboat — The  Embargo  Act — James 
Madison  elected  President — His  Cabinet — Rupture  with  England — Louis 
iana  admitted  to  the  Union — Madison  Re-elected — War  declared  with 
England — Attempted  Invasions  of  Canada — Successes  of  the  American 
Navy — Military  Movements  at  the  North  and  West — Naval  Battle  on  Lake 
Erie — War  with  the  Southern  Indians — English  Devastation  of  the  South 
ern  Coast — Opposition  to  the  War  by  Massachusetts — Oswego— Chippewa 
— Lundy's  Lane — Plattsburg — Washington  occupied  by  the  British— Battle 
of  New  Orleans — The  Dartmoor  Massacre — Indiana  admitted  to  the  Union 
— James  Monroe  elected  President — His  Cabinet — State  of  the  Country — 
Colleges  Founded — Foreign  Missionary  Society — American  Bible  Society 
— Mississippi,  Illinois,  Alabama,  and  Maine  admitted  to  the  Union — 
Re-election  of  James  Monroe — The  Missouri  Compromise 354-407 

CHAPTER   XI. 

INTERNAL   DISSENSIONS— 1820-1840. 

Financial  Prostration  of  the  Country — The  Monroe  Doctrine — John  Quincy 
Adams  elected  President — Lafayette's  Visit  to  the  United  States — Mis 
souri  admitted  to  the  Union — Internal  Improvements  Proposed — The 

ii 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

Erie  Canal— Completion  of  the  Capitol — Death  of  Adams  and  Jefferson —  PAGE 
— The  First  Railroad  in  the  United  States — Andrew  Jackson  elected 
President — Character  of  Jackson — His  Cabinet— Wholesale  Removals 
from  Office — The  Foot  Resolutions — The  Debate  between  Webster  and 
Hayne — Death  of  James  Monroe — The  United  States  Bank — The  Tariff 
Compromise — Re-election  of  Andrew  Jackson — Formation  of  the  Whig 
Party — The  Press  in  1835— Indian  Troubles — Arkansas  and  Michigan 
admitted  to  the  Union — Martin  Van  Buren  elected  President — Financial 
Crisis  of  1837 — The  Movement  for  Canadian  Independence — General 
Harrison  elected  President 408-435 


CHAPTER   XII. 

CULMINATION   OF   DOMESTIC   DIFFICULTIES.— 1840-1860. 

Popularity  of  Harrison — His  Death — John  Tyler  becomes  President — Dorr's 
Rebellion — Anti-Rent  Difficulty  in  New  York — The  Mormons — Morse 
and  the  Magnetic  Telegraph — Florida  admitted  to  the  Union— Annex 
ation  of  Texas — James  K.  Polk  elected  President — The  Oregon  Boun 
dary —  W^ar  with  Mexico  —  Battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la 
Palma — Battle  of  Monterey — Battle  of  Buena  Vista — Cerro  Gordo — Cap 
ture  of  Mexico — Peace  Declared — Fruits  of  the  War— General  Taylor 
elected  President — Iowa  and  Wisconsin  admitted  to  the  Union — President 
Taylor's  Cabinet — Congress  of  1850 — Millard  Fillmore,  President — Dis 
covery  of  Gold  in  California — "  Manifest  Destiny  " — Opening  of  the  Erie 
Railroad — Franklin  Pierce  elected  President — Bleeding  Kansas — The 
Know-Nothing  Party — James  Buchanan  elected  President — His  Cabinet 
— The  Dred  Scott  Decision — Minnesota  and  Oregon  admitted  to  the 
Union — The  Donation  Law — John  Brown — Abraham  Lincoln  elected 
President — Secession  of  the  Southern  States 


PART    IY.-THE    CIVIL   WAR. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FIRST   YEAR   OF   THE   CIVIL  WAR.— 1861. 

The  Inauguration  of  Lincoln— His  Cabinet— Events  at  the  South— Attack  on 
Fort  Sumter— Effect  at  the  North— Surrender  of  Fort  Sumter— The  De 
fence  of  Washington— Death  of  Ellsworth— War  in  West  Virginia  and 
Missouri— Battle  of  Bull  Run— War  on  the  Sea  and  along  the  Coast- 
Letters  of  Marque  issued  by  the  Confederate  Government — Southern  Ports 
Blockaded— Foreign  Relations— The  Trent  Affair 481-494 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

SECOND   YEAR  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR— 1862. 

Operations  in  the  West — Capture  of  Fort  Donelson — Battle  of  Pittsburg  Land-  PAGB 
ing — Military  and  Naval  Operations  along  the  Mississippi — Battle  of  Cor 
inth — Battle  of  Murfreesborough — Capture  of  New  Orleans — The  Contest 
in  Missouri — Movements  in  North  Carolina — The  Monitor  and  Merrimac 
— The  Peninsular  Campaign — Battle  of  Williamsburg  —  The  Capitol 
Threatened— Battle  of  Fair  Oaks — The  Seven-Days  Battles — Lee  invades 
Maryland — Battle  of  Antietam — Battle  of  Fredericksburg — Indian  Trou 
bles  in  the  West — Effects  of  the  Blockade  at  the  South 495-53O 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THIRD   YEAR  OF  THE   CIVIL  WAR— 1863. 

The  Emancipation  Proclamation — Negro  Soldiers — Grant's  Movement  against 
Vicksburg — Battles  of  Port  Gibson,  Jackson,  Champion  Hills,  and  Big 
Black  River — Surrender  of  Vicksburg — Capitulation  of  Port  Hudson — 
Battle  of  Chickamauga — Battles  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Chattanooga — 
Scenes  after  the  Battle — Anecdote  of  the  Third  Ohio  and  the  Fifty-fourth 
Virginia  Regiments — Operations  before  Knoxville — Battle  of  Chancellors- 
ville — Stonewall  Jackson — Lee's  Invasion  of  Maryland — Battle  of  Gettys 
burg — Fall  Campaign  in  Virginia — Capture  of  Fort  Wagner — Conscription 
Laws — Riot  in  New  York — Dedication  of  Gettysburg  Battle-Field — 
Cavalry  Raids 53!~559 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

FOURTH   YEAR  OF  THE  CIVIL  WAR— 1864. 

Grant  appointed  Commander-in-Chief — Sherman's  March  to  Atlanta — Battles 
of  Dallas,  Resaca,  New  Hope  Church,  Allatoona  Pass,  and  Kenesaw 
Mountain — Johnston  Superseded — Hood's  Three  Attacks  on  Sherman — 
Capture  of  Atlanta — The  March  to  the  Sea — Capture  of  Fort  McAllister — 
Battles  of  Franklin  and  Nashville — The  Overland  Campaign — Battles  of 
the  Wilderness,  Spottsylvania  Court-House,  Cold  Harbor,  and  before  Pe 
tersburg — Early's  Raid  upon  Washington — The  Mine  Disaster — Gloomy 
Feeling  at  the  North — Sheridan  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley — The  Meridian 
Campaign — The  Red  River  Campaign 560-583 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

LAST   YEAR   OF  THE   CIVIL  WAR— 1865. 

Plan  of  the  Campaign — Cavalry  Movements — Sherman's  March  through  the 
Carolinas — Fall  of  Charleston — Battles  of  Bentonville  and  Averysboro — 
Desperate  Condition  of  Lee — Attack  on  Fort  Steadman — Battle  of  Five 

13 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

Forks — Evacuation  of  Richmond — Lee's  Retreat — The  Surrender  at  Appo-         PAGE 
mattox  Court-House — Downfall  of  the  Confederacy— Capture  of  Jefferson 
Davis — Assassination  of  Lincoln — Cost  of  the  War — Financial  Policy  of 
the   Government — Sanitary  and   Christian   Commissions — The    Southern 
Women..  584-600 


PART   Y.— THH   HEW   ERA* 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   DECADE   OF   RECONSTRUCTION. 

The  Inauguration  of  Johnson — Disbanding  of  the  National  Army — Johnson's 
Plan  of  Reconstruction — Adoption  of  the  Thirteenth  Amendment — Con 
gressional  Policy — Fourteenth  Amendment — The  Southern  States  Re 
stored  to  the  Union — Impeachment  of  the  President — Universal  Amnesty 
— Maximilian  in  Mexico — The  Atlantic  Telegraph — The  Fenians — Grant's 
Administration — Cabinet — The  Pacific  Railroad — Black  Friday — Reunion 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church — Fifteenth  Amendment — The  Ninth  Census — 
Annexation  of  Santo  Domingo — The  New  York  Ring — The  Alabama 
Claims — Fire  in  Chicago — Fire  in  Boston — The  "  Back  Pay  " — Grant's 
Second  Administration — Cabinet — Death  of  Horace  Greeley — Indian  Wars 
—The  Credit  Mobilier — Panic  of  1873— Patrons  of  Industry — Admission 
of  Colorado — Death  of  Distinguished  Men 603-620 


APPENDIX. 

I.  The  Centennial  Exhibition 623 

II.  The  Southern  Women 628 

III.  Early  American  School-Books 629 

IV.  Resignation  of  General  Lee 630 

V.  Chronological  Table  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution 632-655 

VI.  Index 656 


1  FRONTISPIECE.  ,        PAGE 

2  COLUMBUS  IN  HIS  STUDY,  &c.,  &c. — Initial 9 

3  THE  SERPENT  MOUND ip 

4  THE  MOUNDS  NEAR  LITTLE  ROCK,  ARK.  . n 

5  INDIAN  SYMBOLS 13 

6  SPECIMEN  OF  INDIAN  PICTURE-WRITING 15 

7  INDIAN  LIFE 17 

8  AN  INDIAN  FAMILY  MOVING 18 

g  NORMAN  SHIP  (from  the  Bayeux  Tapestry) 20 

10  THE  ANCIENT  TOWER  AT  NEWPORT,  R.  I .  -. 20 

11  PORTRAIT,  COLUMBUS 21 

12  BEHAIM'S  GLOBE  (1492) — EASTERN  HEMISPHERE 22 

13  "              "      (1492) — WESTERN  HEMISPHERE 23 

14  COLUMBUS  DISCOVERING  LAND 24 

15  A  SPANISH  CARAVEL 24 

16  COLUMBUS  TAKING  POSSESSION 25 

17  TOMB  OF  COLUMBUS  AT  HAVANA 26 

18  BALBOA — Initial 27 

19  DE  SOTO'S  MARCH 28 

20  PORTRAIT,  JACQUES  CARTIER 28 

21  MAP  OF  EARLY  AMERICAN  DISCOVERIES 29 

22  PORTRAIT,  ADMIRAL  COLIGNY 29 

23  OLD  GATEWAY  AT  ST.  AUGUSTINE,  FLORIDA 30 

24  RALEIGH  INTRODUCES  TOBACCO  INTO  ENGLAND 32 

25  THE  DESERTED  COLONY  OF  ROANOKE 33 

26  THE  RUINS  AT  JAMESTOWN 34 

127  SMITH  EXPLAINING  HIS  COMPASS  TO  THE  INDIANS 35 

28  POCAHONTAS 36 

29  SELLING  WIVES  TO  THE  PLANTERS 38 

30  DRUMMOND  BROUGHT  BEFORE  BERKELEY 40 

31  PORTRAIT,  LORD  BALTIMORE 42 

32  SIGNING  THE  COMPACT  IN  THE  CABIN  OF  THE  MAYFLOWER 43 

33  PLYMOUTH  ROCK 44 

34  WELCOME,  ENGLISHMEN.— PLYMOUTH,  1621 45 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

35  FAC-SIMILE  OF  FIRST  MAP  ENGRAVED  IN  NEW  ENGLAND 47 

36  ROGER  WILLIAMS  RECEIVED  BY  CANONICUS 48 

37  PORTRAIT,  KING  PHILIP  49 

38  GOFFE  AT  H ADLEY 5° 

39  THE  OLD  WITCH  HOUSE,  SALEM 52 

40  THE  CHARTER  OAK 54 

41  THE  HALF-MOON  IN  THE  HUDSON 55 

42  PORTRAIT,  GOVERNOR  STUYVESANT 57 

43  THE  ENGLISH  LANDING  AT  NEW  YORK,  1664 58 

44  THE  TOMB  OF  PETER  STUYVESANT 59 

45  SEALS  OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM  AND  NEW  YORK 60 

46  STATUE  OF  PENN  IN  PHILADELPHIA 61 

47  HUGUENOTS  GOING  TO  CHURCH 64 

48  PORTRAIT,  GENERAL  OGLETHORPE,  AGED  102 65 

49  PENN'S  TREATY  TREE 66 

50  THE  DEATH  WHOOP— Initial 67 

51  PORTRAIT,  SAMUEL  CHAMPLAIN , 68 

52  MARQUETTE  DESCENDING  THE  MISSISSIPPI 69 

53  A  FORTIFIED  HOUSE 70 

54  THE  INDIAN  ATTACK  ON  SCHENECTADY 71 

55  MRS.  DUSTIN  DISPOSING  OF  HER  CAPTORS 72 

56  MAP  OF  THE  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WARS  (1689  to  1763) 73 

57  AN  INCIDENT  OF  WASHINGTON'S  RETURN 75 

58  PORTRAIT,  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN . .    76 

59  WASHINGTON  AT  BRADDOCK'S  DEFEAT 77 

60  PORTRAIT,  GENERAL  WOLFE.  . .   80 

61  QUEBEC  IN  EARLY  TIMES 81 

62  THE  GRAVE  OF  BRADDOCK 83 

63  CLEARING  A  HOME  IN  THE  BACKWOODS — Initial 84 

64  PINE-TREE  SHILLING 85 

65  THE  OLD  STAGE-COACH 86 

66  EARLY  PRINTING-PRESS 89 

67  A  SCOLD  GAGGED 90 

68  THE  STOCKS go 

69  THE  FIRST  CHURCH  ERECTED  IN  CONNECTICUT  (1638) 91 

70  WHITEFIELD'S  HOUSE,  GUILFORD,  CONNECTICUT 95 

71  TRAINING-DAY  IN  THE  OLDEN  TIME 97 

72  A  WEDDING  JOURNEY 98 

73  DUTCH  MANSION  AND  COTTAGE  IN  NEW  AMSTERDAM 102 

74  DUTCH  COURTSHIP 106 

75  YE  DUTCH  SCHOOLMASTER 106 

76  EARLY  AMERICAN  PLOW  , 114 

77  THE  PILLORY 115 

78  THE  OLD-TIME  FIRESIDE 119 

79  ANCIENT  CHAIR  (brought  over  in  the  Mayflower) 125 

80  THE  WOOLEN  SPINNING-WHEEL 126 

81  FIELD  SPORTS  OF  THE  SOUTH 130 

82  THE  BOSTON  TEA-PARTY — Initial 133 

83  PORTRAIT,  WILLIAM  PITT,  EARL  OF  CHATHAM 135 

84  PATRICK  HENRY  ADDRESSING  THE  VIRGINIA  ASSEMBLY  136 

85  MAP  OF  THE  COLONIES 138 

1 6 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

86  FANEUIL  HALL , 140 

87  THE  REGULATORS  THREATENING  GOVERNOR  TRYON 142 

88  CARPENTER'S  HALL 144 

89  ENGLAND  FORCING  TEA  DOWN  THE  THROAT  OF  AMERICA 145 

90  THE  LIGHT  IN  THE  STEEPLE — Initial 146 

91  PAUL  REVERE  SPREADING  THE  ALARM 147 

92  MAP,  VICINITY  OF  BOSTON  AND  CONCORD 148 

93  PUTNAM  STARTING  FOR  CAMBRIDGE 149 

94  ETHAN  ALLEN  AT  TICONDEROGA 150 

95  THE  PRAYER  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE  OF  BUNKER  HILL 152 

96  MAP  OF  THE  BATTLE  OF  BUNKER  HILL 153 

97  THE  BAYONET  CHARGE  AT  BUNKER  HILL 154 

98  THE  OLD  MAGAZINE  AT  WILLIAMSBURG,  VA 158 

99  SPECIMEN  OF  CONTINENTAL  MONEY 161 

100  THE  PRESCOTT  GATE,  QUEBEC 163 

101  A  STREET  IN  QUEBEC — SCENE  OF  ARNOLD'S  ATTACK 165 

102  EVACUATION  OF  BOSTON — Initial 166 

103  BOSTON  ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  AGO 169 

104  THE  ATTACK  ON  FORT  MOULTRIE 171 

105  LIBERTY  BELL 173 

106  MAP  OF  BATTLE  OF  LONG  ISLAND 178 

107  PRISON-SHIP  AT  WALLABOUT 179 

108  THE  RETREAT  FROM  LONG  ISLAND 180 

109  MAP  OF  THE  LOWER  HUDSON 185 

1 10  A  HESSIAN  GRENADIER 188 

in  WASHINGTON  CROSSING  THE  DELAWARE 191 

112  WASHINGTON'S  VISIT  TO  GENERAL  RALL 194 

113  PORTRAIT,  ROBERT  MORRIS 195 

114  FRANKLIN  AT  THE  FRENCH  COURT — Initial 196 

115  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  MERCER  AND  MERCER  MONUMENT 198 

116  PORTRAITS,  PULASKI,  KOSCIUSKO  AND  BARON  DEKALB 202 

117  RUINS  OF  FORT  TICONDEROGA 205 

118  THE  ALARM  AT  FORT  SCHUYLER 209 

119  MRS.  SCHUYLER  SETTING  THE  GRAIN-FIELDS  ON  FIRE 212 

120  GENERAL  FRASER  COVERED  BY  SHARP-SHOOTERS 217 

121  MAP  OF  THE  UPPER  HUDSON 219 

122  PORTRAIT,  GENERAL  BURGOYNE .  ... 224 

123  "  GENERAL  GATES 225 

124  MAP  OF  OPERATIONS  IN  NEW  JERSEY  AND  PENNSYLVANIA 230 

125  THE  PAOLI  MONUMENT 232 

126  BATTLE  OF  GERMANTOWN — ATTACK  ON  CHEW'S  HOUSE ,  234 

127  CAPTURE  OF  GENERAL  PRESCOTT 237 

128  EXECUTION  OF  A  SPY  AT  KINGSTON,  N.  Y 240 

129  WASHINGTON'S  HEADQUARTERS  AT  VALLEY  FORGE 246 

130  WASHINGTON  AT  PRAYER — Initial 247 

131  IN  CAMP  AT  VALLEY  FORGE 251 

132  PORTRAIT,  MARQUIS  DE  LAFAYETTE 255 

133  Louis  XVI.,  MARIE  ANTOINETTE  AND  THE  DAUPHIN 259 

134  MEDAL  COMMEMORATING  THE  ALLIANCE  BETWEEN  FRANCE  AND  THE  UNITED 

STATES 259 

135  MOLLY  PITCHER  AT  THE  BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH 261 

17 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

136  PORTRAIT,  JOSEPH  BRANDT  (after  Catlin) 269 

137  "  RED  JACKET  (after  Weir) 270 

138  MAP  OF  OPERATIONS  IN  VIRGINIA  AND  THE  CAROLINAS 272 

139  GIVING  THE  COUNTERSIGN  AT  STONY  POINT 275 

140  CAPTURE  OF  THE  SERAPIS  BY  THE  BON  HOMME  RICHARD 281 

141  THE  DECATUR  MONUMENT 282 

142  PATRIOTS  MAKING  ARMS  AND  AMMUNITION — Initial 283 

143  A  RENDEZVOUS  OF  MARION  AND  HIS  MEN 288 

144  NANCY  HART  AND  THE  BRITISH  SOLDIERS 292 

145  THE  OLD  SUGAR  HOUSE,  LIBERTY  STREET,  NEW  YORK 298 

146  CAPTURE  OF  MAJOR  ANDRE 3°2 

147  THE  MONUMENT  AT  TARRYTOWN ...  305 

148  GENERAL  WAYNE  CONFRONTING  THE  RIOTERS—  Initial 306 

149  MRS.  STEELE  AND  GENERAL  GREENE 310 

150  THE  PARTISAN  LEADERS  OF  THE  SOUTH 314 

151  MAP  OF  THE  SIEGE  OF  YORKTOWN 320 

152  SURRENDER  OF  CORNWALLIS  AT  YORKTOWN 321 

153  PORTRAIT,  GEORGE  THE  THIRD 324 

154  WASHINGTON'S  INAUGURATION  AT  FEDERAL  HALL — Initial 327 

155  WASHINGTON'S  HEADQUARTERS  AT  NEWBURG 330 

156  MAP,  TERRITORIAL  GROWTH  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES 332 

157  WASHINGTON  AND  HIS  CABINET 335 

158  DANIEL  BOONE'S  EXPLORING  EXPEDITION 340- 

159  MOUNT  VERNON 343 

160  PORTRAIT,  NAPOLEON  BUONAPARTE 345 

161  MEDAL,  WASHINGTON  AND  LAFAYETTE  353 

162  PORTRAIT,  THOMAS  JEFFERSON — Initial 354 

163  JEFFERSON  GOING  TO  HIS  INAUGURATION 356 

164  CHIEF-JUSTICE  MARSHALL  IN  THE  LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS 359 

165  DUEL  BETWEEN  HAMILTON  AND  BURR 363 

166  THE  CLERMONT,  FULTON'S  STEAMBOAT 366 

167  PORTRAIT,  ELSKWATAWA,  THE  PROPHET 370 

168  BURNING  OF  THE  RICHMOND  (VA.)  THEATRE 371 

169  MAP  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1812-14  (NORTHERN  REGION)  374 

170  GENERAL  SCOTT  AND  THE  TWO  INDIANS 376 

171  "  OLD  IRONSIDES  " 378 

172  CAPTURE  OF  THE  FROLIC 379 

173  SACKETT'S  HARBOR  IN  1814 380 

174  PORTRAIT,  CAPTAIN  JAMES  LAWRENCE , 382: 

175  PERRY'S  HEADQUARTERS 384 

176  PERRY  LEAVING  THE  LAWRENCE 385 

177  A  CARICATURE  OF  THE  TIME— (QUEEN  CHARLOTTE  AND  JOHNNY  BULL  GOT 

THEIR  DOSE  OF  PERRY) 386 

178  PORTRAIT,  OLIVER  HAZARD  PERRY 387 

179  MAP,  SOUTHERN  REGION  OF  THE  WAR  OF  1812-14 388 

180  WEATHERFORD  IN  JACKSON'S  TENT 389 

181  THE  ATTACK  ON  OSWEGO 390 

182  COLONEL  MILLER  AT  LUNDY'S  LANE 392 

183  THE  RUINS  OF  FORT  ERIE— BUFFALO  IN  THE  DISTANCE 393 

184  BRITISH  SOLDIERS  BURNING  BOOKS  IN  THE  LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS 394 

185  THE  BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 397- 

18 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

186  PORTRAIT,  EMMA  WILLARD 402 

187  CHICAGO  IN  1820 405 

188  THE  OLD  BLOCK-HOUSE,  CHICAGO 407 

189  PORTRAIT,  JOHN  QUINCY  ADAMS — Initial 408 

190  LAFAYETTE  AT  THE  TOMB  OF  WASHINGTON 4U 

igi    MONTICELLO,    THE    HOME   OF  JEFFERSON 415 

192  THE  FIRST  RAILROAD  TRAIN  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 416 

193  PORTRAIT,  ANDREW  JACKSON .- 419 

194  PORTRAITS,  H AYNE  AND  WEBSTER 422 

195  HENRY  CLAY  ADDRESSING  THE  SENATE 425 

196  THE  UNITED  STATES  BANK 426 

197  THE  DADE  MONUMENT  AT  WEST  POINT,  N.  Y 430 

198  PORTRAIT,  WILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON 434 

199  BIRTHPLACE  OF  MARTIN  VAN  BUREN 435 

200  PORTRAIT,  JOHN  TYLER 436 

201  THE  TOMB  OF  HARRISON 438. 

202  VIEW  OF  N AUVOO  CITY 441 

203  HOUSE  IN  WHICH  THE  FlRST  CONGRESS  OF  TEXAS  MET 444 

204  SANTA  ANNA  REBUKED  BY  HOUSTON 446 

205  CAPTURE  OF  THE  MEXICAN  BATTERY  BY  CAPTAIN  MAY 450 

206  A  SCENE  AT  MONTEREY 452 

207  MAP  ILLUSTRATING  THE  MEXICAN  WAR 454 

208  ON  THE  SUMMIT  OF  THE  CORDILLERAS 458. 

209  SECRETARY  PRESTON  AND  THE  BOATSWAIN 462 

210  PORTRAIT,  GENERAL  ZACHARY  TAYLOR 463 

211  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO 466 

212  ASHLAND,  THE  HOME  OF  HENRY  CLAY 470 

213  SCENES  IN  KANSAS 473 

214  PORTRAIT,  JAMES  BUCHANAN 475 

215  "  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 479 

216  FORT  SUMTER 480 

217  MASS  MEETING  IN  UNION  SQUARE,  NEW  YORK — Initial 483 

218  LINCOLN'S  EARLY  HOME  IN  ILLINOIS 485 

219  ATTACK  ON  FORT  SUMTER  FROM  MORRIS  ISLAND 487 

220  "  STONEWALL"  JACKSON  AT  THE  HEAD  OF  HIS  BRIGADE 491 

221  INTERCEPTING  THE  TRENT 494 

222  GROUP  OF  UNION  VOLUNTEERS — Initial. 495 

223  SURRENDER  OF  FORT  DONELSON.  . . ...  498 

224  THE  MIDNIGHT  COUNCIL  OF  WAR 499 

225  DONALDSON'S  POINT  AND  ISLAND  No.  10 503 

226  MAP  OF  OPERATIONS  IN  THE  EAST 505 

227  HEROISM  OF  COLONEL  ROGERS 507 

228  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  NEW  ORLEANS 510- 

229  NAVAL  DUEL  BETWEEN  THE  MONITOR  AND  THE  MERRIMAC 514 

230  MAP  OF  THE  PENINSULA 516 

231  BUILDING  A  CORDUROY  ROAD  THROUGH  A  SWAMP 517 

232  PORTRAIT,  GENERAL  GEORGE  B.  MCCLELLAN 520 

233  "  GENERAL  ROBERT  E.  LEE 522 

234  DEATH  OF  GENERAL  KEARNEY 525 

235  STORMING  THE  BRIDGE  AT  ANTIETAM 527 

236  THE  MONITOR  AT  SEA 530 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

237  READING  THE  EMANCIPATION  PROCLAMATION — Initial 531 

238  RUNNING  THE  BATTERIES  AT  VICKSBURG 532 

239  MAP  OF  VICKSBURG  AND  VICINITY 534 

240  MAP  OF  CHATTANOOGA  AND  VICINITY 536 

241  A  CHARGE  AT  MISSIONARY  RIDGE 538 

242  LEE  AND  JACKSON  PLANNING  THE  BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE 542 

243  STONEWALL  JACKSON  IN  HIS  TENT 545 

244  PORTRAIT,  MAJOR-GENERAL  GEORGE  G.  MEADE 548 

245  MAP  OF  GETTYSBURG  AND  VICINITY 549 

246  REPULSING  A  CHARGE  AT  GETTYSBURG 551 

247  DRAFTING 556 

248  THE  NATIONAL  MONUMENT  AT  GETTYSBURG 559 

249  AN  IMPROMPTU  FORTIFICATION — Initial 560 

250  MAP  OF  OPERATIONS  IN  THE  WEST 563 

251  THE  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA 565 

252  CROSSING  THE  RAPIDAN— GRANT'S  TELEGRAM 568 

253  MAP  OF  GRANT'S  CAMPAIGN  AROUND  RICHMOND 569. 

254  PORTRAIT,  GENERAL  ULYSSES  S.  GRANT 573 

255  SHERIDAN'S  ARRIVAL  AT  CEDAR  CREEK 576 

256  NAVAL  BATTLE  IN  MOBILE  BAY 579 

257  THE  ALABAMA 582 

258  PORTRAITS,  SHERMAN  AND  SHERIDAN 583, 

259  REFUGEES  FOLLOWING  THE  ARMY — Initial 584. 

260  SHERMAN  AT  THE  HEAD  OF  HIS  TROOPS 586 

261  PORTRAIT,  GENERAL  JOSEPH  E.  JOHNSTON 587 

262  CITY  OF  RICHMOND 589, 

263  CAVALRY  CHARGE  ON  THE  CONFEDERATE  WAGON-TRAIN 591 

264  SIGNING  THE  TERMS  OF  SURRENDER 593 

265  PORTRAIT,  JEFFERSON  DAVIS 594 

266  ASSASSINATION  OF  PRESIDENT  LINCOLN 596 

267  A  SCENE  AT  THE  SURRENDER  OF  LEE 6co- 

268  RECONCILIATION— Initial 603 

269  THE  GRAND  REVIEW— MARCHING  DOWN  PENNSYLVANIA  AVENUE 605 

270  PORTRAIT,  ANDREW  JOHNSON 607 

271  THE  GREAT  EASTERN  IN  MID-OCEAN  LAYING  THE  CABLE 610 

272  GENERAL  GRANT'S  RESIDENCE  AT  GALENA,  ILL.,  IN  1860 612 

273  DRIVING  THE  LAST  SPIKE 613 

274  PORTRAIT,  HORACE  GREELEY 617 

275  CENTENNIAL  MEDAL — REVERSE 620 

276  MAIN  EXHIBITION  BUILDING — INTERNATIONAL  EXHIBITION 624 

277  ART  GALLERY — INTERNATIONAL  EXHIBITION  ...    625 

278  HORTICULTURAL  HALL— INTERNATIONAL  EXHIBITION 626 

279  CENTENNIAL  MEDAL— REVERSE 627 


20 


PART   I. 


"  Lift  we  the  twilight  curtains  of  the  Past, 

And,  turning  from  familiar  sight  and  sound, 

Sadly  and  full  of  reverence  let  us  cast 

A  glance  upon    Tradition  s  shadowy  ground, 

Led  by  the  few  pale  lights  which,  glimmering  round 

That  dim,  strange  land  of  Eld,  seem  dying  fast" 


CHAPTER    I. 

EJifcLY  HISTORY   OF   AMERICA. 


PREHISTORIC    PEOPJLEJ3. 

HE  authentic  history  of  North 
America  is  comprised  within 
four  centuries.  All  back  of  that 
rests  upon  ruins  and  traditions, 
and  is  largely  mythical.  The 
Indians  were  not  the  most 
ancient  inhabitants  of  North 
America.  Through  the  whole 
length  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 
are  found  the  remains  of  a 
numerous  and  civilized  people 
which  once  occupied  this  coun 
try.  This  race  is  known  as  the 
Mound  Builders,  from  the  large 
number  of  mounds  which  they 
erected,  seemingly  as  monu 
ments  to  distinguished  dead,  or 


10 


EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 


as  grand  altars  for  religious  purposes.  Sixteen  miles  east  of 
Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  are  two  of  these  elevations,  the  larger  of 
which  is  over  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height.  Its  summit 
is  crowned  with  a  magnificent  elm  which  has  stood  four  hun 
dred  years.  Near  by  is  a  sheet  of  water  known  as  Mound  Lake, 
three  and  a  half  miles  long  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad,  the 
result  evidently  of  excavation  for  the  mound  material.  The 
two  mounds  are  encircled  by  a  ditch  which  encloses  an  area 
of  over  ninety  acres.  Elsewhere  are  seen  extensive  earthworks 
constructed  with  considerable  skill.  They  crown  a  steep  bluff,, 
or  are  carried  across  the  neck  of  a  peninsula  formed  by  the 
bend  of  a  river.  If  there  is  no  access  to  springs  or  streams,  they 
contain  artificial  reservoirs  for  holding  water.  Fort  Hill,  on  the 
Little  Miami  River,  Ohio,  consists  of  an  embankment  nearly 
four  miles  in  extent,  and  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  high,  varying 

according  to  the  natural  advantages  of 
the  ground.  In  Adams  county,  Ohio, 
is  a  curious  earthwork,  representing 
an  immense  serpent,  one  thousand  feet 
long,  holding  in  its  mouth  an  egg- 
shaped  mound  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet 
in  length,  and  having  its  tail  twined 
into  a  triple  coil.  These  mounds  rarely 
contain  more  than  one  skeleton.  Many 
tools  and  ornaments  of  copper,  brass, 
silver,  and  precious  stones,  such  as 
knives,  axes,  chisels,  bracelets,  and  beads 
have  been  found ;  as  also  cloth  and 
thread  and  vases  of  pottery.  Near 

Nashville,  in  Tennessee,  an  idol  made  of  clay  and  gypsum  was  ex 
humed.  Roman  and  Persian  coins  have  been  discovered  ;  and  in 
Western  New  York  a  silver  piece,  with  the  date  A.D.  600,  found 
far  below  the  surface,  furnishes  a  theme  for  many  a  speculation. 
The  Mound  Builders  worked  the  copper  mines  about  Lake 
Superior,  and  their  old  pits  are  now  familiarly  known  in  that 
region  as  the  "  ancient  diggings."  In  one  of  these  mines  near 
Eagle  Harbor,  a  mass  of  copper  was  found  which  weighed  forty- 
six  tons.  The  block  had  been  separated  from  the  original  vein 
and  the  surface  pounded  smooth.  About  it  lay  stone  hammers, 
copper  chisels  and  wedges  in  abundance,  as  if  the  workmen  had 
but  just  departed.  Upon  these  mounds  and  mines  the  largest 


THE   SERPENT   MOUND. 


PREHISTORIC    PEOPLES. 


II 


forest  trees  are  now  growing.  On  one  mound  near  Marietta, 
Ohio,  there  are  trees  which  must  have  seen  at  least  eight  cen 
turies.  The  age  of  the  mounds  themselves  is  a  matter  of  conjec 
ture  alone. 

"  A  race  that  long  has  passed  away 
Built  them  ;  a  disciplined  and  populous  race 
Heaped  with  long  toil  the  earth,  while  yet  the  Greek 
Was  hewing  the  Pentelicus  to  forms 
Of  symmetry,  and  rearing  on  its  rock 
The  glittering  Parthenon." — Bryant. 

When  the  Jesuit  missionaries  first  came  to  America,  they 
found  the  Indians  not  only  entirely  ignorant  of  this  people,  but 
possessed  of  no  tradition  concerning  them.  Whence  these  un 
known  races  came  to  our  shores  we  know  not.  It  is  natural 


THE   MOUNDS   NEAR    LITTLE   ROCK,    ARKANSAS. 


to  suppose,  however,  that  their  home  was  Asia — the  birthplace 
of  man.  Within  the  past  century  fifteen  Japanese  vessels  have,  it 
is  said,  been  driven  by  storms  across  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and 
wrecked  on  the  American  coast.  Such  events  may  have  hap 
pened  anciently,  and  the  shipwrecked  crews  may  have  settled  the 
new  country.  Formerly,  too,  as  geologists  tell  us,  before 
Behring  Strait  was  cut  through,  the  two  continents  were  con 
nected.  Parties  of  adventurers  may  then  have  crossed,  and 
finding  a  pleasant  land  on  this  side,  may  have  decided  to  make  it 
their  home.  All  is  conjecture,  however,  and  we  know  not  when 
nor  whence  the  Mound  Builders  came,  nor  when  nor  whither 
they  went. 


12  EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 

Most  curious  of  all  the  remains  found  on  this  continent  are 
those  of  Arizona.  Here  are  not  only  Spanish  cathedrals  dating 
back  of  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  and  ruins  of  Spanish  towns 
indicating  an  early  and  extensive  colonization,  now  disappeared, 
which  must  have  been  in  its  glory  when  as  yet  only  a  few  woe 
begone  English  settlers  half  starved  in  their  rude  cabins  along 
the  Potomac  River  and  Plymouth  Bay ;  but  recent  explorations 
have  revealed  other  and  prehistoric  remains,  belonging  to  a  race 
which  has  left  behind  no  tradition  even  of  its  name  or  origin. 
The  Gila  Valley  alone,  it  is  estimated,  must  once  have  been  occu 
pied  by  one  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  In  the  great  Tonto 
Basin,  bounded  by  the  rivers  Gila,  Verde  and  Black  Mesa,  and  the 
White  Mountains,  nearly  every  hill  within  a  range  of  ten  thousand 
square  miles  is  covered  with  broken  pottery,  so  perfectly  glazed 
that  its  bright  coloring  is  still  preserved.  Here  are  ruins  of 
pueblos  four  stories  high,  and  with  walls  two  feet  thick  ;  aqueducts, 
reservoirs,  irrigating  canals,  and  regular  fortifications.  Along  the 
cliffs  in  many  places  are  multitudes  of  caves  dug  into  the  solid 
rock,  where  the  inhabitants  seem  to  have  taken  refuge  and  made  a 
last  stand  against  an  invading  foe.  These  caves  are  often  twenty 
feet  deep,  and  closed  by  mason  work  of  stone  and  cement  still 
well  preserved.  These  retreats  are  only  accessible  by  means  of 
ladders,  or  by  narrow  paths  along  the  edge  of  projecting  crags, 
where  a  single  false  step  would  plunge  one  to  inevitable  destruc 
tion.  In  the  larger  caves,  the  front  wall  is  bastioned  and  loop- 
holed  ;  while  in  the  ceiling  of  the  principal  room  is  a  man-hole 
enabling  one  to  enter  a  series  of  chambers  with  which  the  whole 
mountain  is  honeycombed.  In  the  thick  deposit  of  bat-lime 
which  now  covers  the  floor,  are  broken  pieces  of  pottery  like 
those  found  so  abundantly  in  the  ruined  villages  along  the  river 
valleys.  The  timbers  used  in  the  various  rooms  were  evidently 
cut  with  stone  hatchets.  The  chambers  are  dark  and  the  walls 
are  yet  black  with  the  smoke  from  the  fires  of  the  ancient  cave- 
dwellers. 

One  can  but  speculate  on  the  fearful  struggle  which  appar 
ently  forced  this  people  to  leave  their  fortified  villages  and 
cultivated  fields,  and  to  hew  for  themselves  asylums  in  the  rock ; 
the  long  months  and  years  during  which  they  continued  the  con 
test  in  their  mountain  fortresses ;  the  details  of  this  final  death- 
struggle  ;  and  when  and  how  the  last  of  this  host  yielded,  and 
the  nation  was  blotted  out  of  existence. 


((UNIVERSITY^ 

INDIAN    DIALECt*£$\^  13 


THE    JNOFfTH    AMERICAN    JJMDIyVNg. 

The  first  inhabitants  of  whom  we  have  any  definite  knowledge 
are  the  Indians  —  so  named  because  the  earliest  European  explorers 
of  this  country  supposed  they  had  reached  the  eastern  coast  of 
India.  The  total  number  of  these  aborigines,  at  that  time  within 
the  present  limits  of  the  United  States,  was  probably  four  hundred 
thousand,  of  whom  about  one-half  lived  east  of  the  Mississippi. 
They  all  had  much  the  same  look,  and  doubtless  a  common  origin. 
They  were,  however,  divided  into  numerous  tribes  and  spoke 
different  languages.  Diligent  study  of  these  tongues  has  classed 
them  all  into,  perhaps,  seven  great  families  —  the  Algonquin,  the 
Iroquois,  the  Mobilian,  the  Dakotah  or  Sioux,  the  Cherokee,  the 
Catawba,  and  the  Shoshonee.  These  are  the  names  by  which 
they  are  commonly  known  to  us,  but  not,  in  general,  those  used 
among  the  natives.  The  terms  Huron,  Iroquois,  etc.,  are  only 
nick-names  given  by  the  whites  ;  Sioux  is  an  Algonquin  appella 
tion.  The  various  tribes  were  divided  into  clans,  each  with  its 
own  symbol,  as  a  tortoise,  deer,  snipe,  or  hawk,  often  tattooed  on 
the  warrior's  breast.  Over  the  clan  was  a  chief  or  sachem,  who 
represented  it  at  the  grand  councils  and  governed  it  according 
to  custom  and  tradition. 


INDIAN   SYMBOLS. 


The  Algonquins  dwelt  along  the  Atlantic  coast  from  Cape 
Fear  northward,  and  were  those  with  whom  the  Jamestown  and 
Plymouth  colonists  alike  came  in  contact.  The  Narragansetts, 
Pequods,  Massachusetts,  Mohegans,  Manhattans,  Delawares, 
Powhatans,  Shawnees,  Miamis,  Illinois,  Sacs,  and  Foxes,  were 
tribes  of  this  wide-spread  family.  Their  memory  is  perpetuated 
by  the  histories  of  Pocahontas,  Powhatan,  Massasoit,  King 
Philip,  Black  Hawk,  Tecumseh,  and  Pontiac. 

The  Iroquois  occupied  a  territory  in  the  heart  of  the  Algon 
quin  region — a  tract  south  of  Lake  Ontario,  covering  the  head 
waters  of  the  Susquehanna,  Delaware,  and  Ohio,  which  General 


14  EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 

Scott  well  termed  the  "  strategic  centre  "  of  the  United  States. 
Here  was  the  home  of  the  Five  Nations,  so  famous  in  all  the  colonial 
wars.  Here  Red  Jacket  and  Joseph  Brandt  figured  as  characters 
more  like  ancient  Romans  than  wild  forest  Indians.  In  the  time 
of  their  greatest  prosperity  this  confederacy  did  not  number  over 
fifteen  thousand,  and  it  could  not  send  out  much  over  two  thou 
sand  warriors.  But  they  were  fierce,  bloodthirsty,  and  restless 
for  conquest.  Pushing  along  the  valleys  from  their  headquarters 
on  the  great  watershed  of  Central  New  York,  they  carried  their 
triumphant  arms  to  the  soil  of  Kentucky  and  Virginia.  Their 
power  was  felt  to  the  Kennebec  on  the  east  and  the  Illinois  on  the 
west.  The  Delaware  tribe  was  triumphantly  and  ignominiously 
styled  their  "  woman."  Of  the  five  nations,  the  Mohawk  was  the 
most  dreaded.  When,  among  the  peaceful  Indians  along  the 
Connecticut,  a  messenger  stalked  into  their  council-room  exclaim 
ing,  "  The  Mohawks  are  come  to  suck  your  blood,"  there  was  no 
thought  of  safety  except  in  flight  or  submission. 

The  Mobilians  stretched  along  the  Gulf  from  the  Atlantic  to 
the  Rio  Grande.  They  comprised  within  their  limits  the  com 
paratively  insignificant  tribes  of  the  Uchee  and  the  Natchez.  The 
Creeks,  Seminoles,  Choctavvs,  and  the  Chickasaws  are  interwoven 
with  the  later  history  of  the  country  at  the  south,  as  the  Sioux, 
Miamis,  Illinois,  Sacs,  etc.,  are  on  the  north. 

The  separate  languages  were  completely  organized,  though  no 
savage  had  ever  attempted  their  analysis,  or  knew  anything 
about  sounds,  letters,  or  syllables.  The  study  of  their  speech 
by  Europeans  has  shown  many  peculiarities.  Thus  the  Algon- 
quins  had  no  f ;  the  Choctaws  no  d;  the  Iroquois,  except  the 
Oneidas,  whose  tongue  was  soft  and  liquid,  no  /.  The  Algonquins 
loved  consonants,  while  every  word  in  the  Cherokee  ended  in  a 
vowel.  They  all  lacked  abstract  or  general  terms.  The  Algon 
quins,  for  example,  had  no  word  for  oak,  but  a  name  for  each  kind 
of  oak.  There  was  no  word  for  fishing,  but  a  specific  name  for 
fire-fishing,  net-fishing,  etc.  They  always  compounded  words  so 
as  to  express  new  ideas.  Thus,  as  the  Indian  never  kneels,  when 
Eliot,  the  famous  New  England  missionary,  wished  to  translate 
that  thought,  he  was  forced  to  use  a  definition  merely,  and  the 
compound  word  is  eleven  syllables  long — wutappessittukqus- 
sonnoowehtunkquot.  The  Indians  never  said  "  father  "  alone,  but 
always  included  with  it  a  possessive  pronoun.  Consequently  the 
Doxology  used  by  Christian  Indians  reads,  "  Our  Father,  his  Son, 


THE    NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  15 

and  their  Holy  Ghost."  Their  tongues  were  thus  peculiarly  syn 
thetic,  and  often  subject,  predicate,  and  object  were  conjugated 
as  one  word.  The  Cherokee  language  had  but  eighty-five  sylla 
bles,  which  were  analyzed  by  an  educated  Indian  known  as  George 
Guess,  who  assigned  a  character  to  each.  Thus  one  may  learn  to 
read  and  write  this  tongue  in  a  very  short  time.  The  Indians 
had  no  written  language,  though  they  used  on  occasions  a  species 
•of  hieroglyphics  or  picture-writing.  A  series  of  rude  symbols 
scratched  on  a  tree  or  rock  gave  any  information  desired. 
Schoolcraft  gives  the  following,  used  by  his  Indian  guides  to 
inform  their  comrades  that  a  company  of  fourteen  whites  and 
two  Indians  had  spent  the  night  at  that  point.  Nos.  9,  10  indi 
cate  the  white  soldiers  and  their  arms  ;  No.  i  is  the  captain,  with 
a  sword  ;  No.  2  the  secretary,  with  the  book ;  No.  3  the  geolo 
gist,  with  a  hammer ;  Nos.  7,  8  are  the  guides,  without  hats ;  Nos. 
11,  12  show  what  they  ate  in  camp  ;  Nos.  13,  14,  15  indicate  how 
many  fires  they  made : 


SPECIMEN    OF    INDIAN    PICTURE-WRITING. 


The  Indian  was  a  barbarian.  His  condition  was  that  known 
In  geology  as  the  Stone  Age  of  man,  since  his  implements  and 
tools  were  made  of  that  material.  His  stone  hatchet  was  so  rude 
that  to  cut  down  a  large  forest  tree  would  have  required  a  month's 
time.  He  had  no  horse,  cow,  or  other  domestic  animal  of 'burden. 
He  had  no  knowledge  of  any  metals  except  gold,  silver,  and 
copper,  and  these  to  a  very  limited  extent.  Labor  he  considered 
as  degrading,  and  fit  only  for  women.  His  squaw,  therefore, 
built  his  wigwam,  cut  his  wood,  and  carried  his  burdens  when  he 


l6  EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 

journeyed.  While  he  hunted  or  fished,  she  cleared  the  land  for 
his  corn  by  burning  down  the  trees,  scratched  the  ground  with  a 
crooked  stick  or  hoed  it  with  a  clam-shell,  and  dressed  skins  for 
his  clothing.  She  cooked  his  food  by  dropping  hot  stones  into  a 
tight  willow  basket  containing  materials  for  soup.  The  leavings 
of  her  lord's  feast  sufficed  for  her,  and  the  coldest  place  in  the 
wigwam  was  her  seat.  He  rarely  spoke  to  his  wife  or  children. 
He  would  sit  on  the  ground  for  days,  leaning  his  elbows  on  his 
knees  in  stupid  silence.  He  was  crafty  and  cruel.  His  word  was 
no  protection.  False  and  cunning,  he  never  hesitated  to  violate  a 
treaty  when  his  passions  prompted  him  to  hatred.  He  was  hos 
pitable,  and  the  door  of  his  wigwam  was  always  open  to  any 
comer,  who  had  but  to  enter,  sit  down  at  the  fire,  and  to  be 
served  without  a  word.  He  would  give  up  his  own  mat  or  skin 
that  his  guest  or  a  passing  traveler  might  rest  thereon.  He 
remembered  a  benefit  and  often  saved  his  benefactor  at  the  peril 
of  his  life.  He  loved  to  gain  his  end  by  stratagem  and  rarely 
met  an  enemy  in  fair  fight.  No  victory  was  prized  when  the 
conquest  cost  the  life  of  a  warrior.  He  could  endure  great 
fatigue,  and  in  his  expeditions  often  lay  without  shelter  in  severest 
weather.  It  was  his  glory  to  bear  the  most  horrible  tortures 
without  sign  of  pain. 

An  Indian  wigwam  at  the  best  was  only  a  temporary  shelter. 
It  was  built  of  bark  resting  on  poles,  and  had  an  opening  at  the 
top  to  let  out  the  smoke  and  let  in  the  light.  The  fire  was  built 
on  the  ground  at  the  centre.  The  lodge  was  moved  from  place 
to  place  whenever  fancy  suggested.  The  most  frequent  reason 
was  the  scarcity  of  game  or  fuel.  Indeed,  it  is  said  that  when  the 
whites  first  came  to  this  country  the  Indians  supposed  it  to  be 
because  they  had  consumed  all  the  wood  in  their  own  land,  and 
that  they  were  in  quest  of  fuel.  The  Iroquois  built  larger  and 
more  permanent  dwellings.  These  were  often  thirty  or  forty  and 
sometimes  over  two  hundred  feet  in  length,  each  inhabited  by 
several  families.  Many  of  these  were  irregularly  gathered  in  a 
town,  on  the  bank  of  some  river  or  lake,  where  they  were  fortified, 
perhaps,  by  a  palisade  and  deep  ditch.  "  A  person  entering  one 
of  these  wigwams  on  a  winter's  evening  might  have  beheld,"  says 
Parkman, "  a  strange  spectacle  ;  the  vista  of  fires  lighting  the  smoky 
concave ;  the  bronzed  groups  encircling  each — cooking,  eating, 
gambling,  or  amusing  themselves  with  idle  badinage ;  wrinkled 
squaws,  hideous  with  three-score  years  of  hardship  ;  grizzly  old 


THE    NORTH    AMERICAN    INDIANS.  I/ 

warriors,  scarred  with  war-club  and  tomahawk ;  young  aspirants, 
whose  honors  were  yet  to  be  won ;  damsels,  gay  with  ochre  and 
wampum ;  and  restless  children,  pell-mell  with  restless  dogs. 
Now  a  tongue  of  resinous  flame  painted  each  wild  feature  in  vivid 
light ;  now  the  fitful  gleam  expired,  and  the  group  vanished  from 
sight  as  the  nation  has  from  history." 


INDIAN    LIFE. 


The  Indians  married  young,  the  girls  at  thirteen  or  fourteen^ 
and  the  boys  by  eighteen.  Meanwhile  the  latter  were  required 
to  show  their  manhood  by  long  endurance  of  famine  and  by 
bringing  in  plenty  of  game.  A  marriageable  girl  wore  an  adver 
tisement  of  the  fact  upon  her  head.  The  marriage  ceremony 
often  consisted  of  nothing  more  than  the  bride's  bringing  to  the 
bridegroom  a  dish  of  cooked  corn  and  an  armful  of  fuel. 

War  and  the  chase  were  the  natural  state  of  the  Indian.  The 
battle-field  and  the  hunting-ground  contained  everything  of 
special  honor  or  value.  The  bow  was  placed  in  the  boy's  hands 
as  soon  as  he  could  grasp  it.  His  training  henceforth  was  to 
shoot  the  arrow,  to  glide  upon  the  snow-shoe,  to  hurl  the  toma 
hawk,  and  to  cast  the  spear.  To  dance  the  war-dance,  to  sing  the 
war-song,  to  go  forth  on  the  war-path,  to  lie  in  wait  for  his 
enemy,  and  to  bring  back  the  scalp  of  one  whom  he  had  slain,  were 


18 


EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 


his  highest  delight.  Two  or  three  warriors  roaming  through 
the  forest,  with  only  a  bag  of  pounded  corn  hanging  at  the  side 
for  food,  would  watch  a  hostile  village  or  party  for  weeks,  hiding 
in  rocks  or  thickets,  awaiting  a  chance  for  a  surprise,  to  assassi 
nate  a  defenceless  man,  woman,  or  child  ;  then  hastily  cutting  off 
the  scalp,  as  proof  of  their  prowess,  would  hurry  home  again  in 
triumph.  The  war  party  marched  in  single  file,  the  chief  in 
advance,  while  the  last  one  erased  the  tracks  they  had  made.  A 
captive  was  often  brutally  mangled  before  reaching  the  village  of 


AN    INDIAN    FAMILY    MOVING. 


his  captors.  Here  he  was  obliged  to  run  the  gauntlet  between  a 
double  row  of  its  entire  population,  who  turned  out  to  receive 
him,  each  inflicting  a  blow  as  he  passed.  The  council  decided 
his  fate.  He  might  be  adopted  into  some  family,  to  supply  the 
place  of  a  lost  member,  or  be  sentenced  to  the  torture.  This  was 
too  horrible  for  description.  The  body  was  gashed  with  knives, 
the  hair  and  beard  were  torn  out,  the  fingers  and  toes  were 
wrenched  off,  the  flesh  was  seared  with  red-hot  stones  and  punc 
tured  with  sharpened  sticks;  and  finally  the  bleeding,  mangled 
body  was  tied  to  a  stake  and  burned  to  ashes.  While  life  lasted 
the  victim  of  their  cruelty  uttered  no  groan,  but  sang  the  war- 
song  of  his  clan,  boasted  of  his  exploits,  told  the  names  of  those 
whom  he  had  slain,  and  taunted  them  with  their  unskilfulness  in 
devising  tortures  in  comparison  with  those  whicfti  he  had  himself 
inflicted  on  their  kinsmen. 


1492.]  DISCOVERY    OF    AMERICA.  19 

The  religion  of  the  Indian  varied  greatly  in  different  tribes. 
Those  of  New  England  had  no  word  for  God,  and  there  is  no 
evidence  of  a  religious  ceremony  among  them.  The  Iroquois 
had  faith  in  a  Great  Spirit,  and  in  happy  hunting-grounds  where 
the  departed  warrior  might  hope  to  hunt  and  feast  and  be  as  lazy 
as  he  pleased.  The  Natchez  had  temples  for  the  worship  of  the 
sun,  and  sacred  fires  which  were  never  allowed  to  expire.  The 
Indians  believed  in  protecting  spirits,  who  cared  not  alone  for 
human  beings  but  even  for  animals.  They  were  cautious  about 
giving  them  any  offence,  frequently  offering  them  gifts  to  pro 
pitiate  their  favor.  They  handled  carefully  the  bones  of  beaver, 
buffalo,  deer,  and  other  game,  lest  the  spirjts  of  the  dead  might 
inform  those  of  the  living,  and  teach  them  to  escape  the  hunter's 
toils.  They  would  often  talk  to  animals  as  if  they  were  human 
beings,  and  beg  their  pardon  for  having  wounded  them,  explain 
ing  the  necessity  which  compelled  the  attack,  and  exhorting  the 
sufferer  to  endure  the  pain  so  as  not  to  bring  disgrace  on  his 
family.  The  Indian  invoked  the  aid  of  these  various  powers, 
whose  presence  he  acknowledged  in  nature,  and  implicitly  relied 
on  their  protection.  He  was  anxious  to  have  such  a  guardian  for 
himself.  The  young  Chippewa,  for  example,  retired  to  a  solitary 
lodge  in  the  forest,  blackened  his  face,  and  fasted  for  days,  that  he 
might  become  pure  and  exalted  enough  to  behold  in  a  vision  his 
protecting  deity.  Everywhere  there  was  an  idea  of  sin  which 
was  to  be  atoned  for,  of  the  duty  of  self-denial  and  sacrifice,  and 
of  rewards  and  punishments  for  good  and  evil.  So  prevalent  was 
this  sentiment  that  Le  Clercq  thought  one  of  the  apostles  must 
have  reached  America  and  taught  the  Indians  the  sublime 
truths  of  Revelation. 


DIgCOVEFJY    OF    AJVIERICA. 

As  early  as  the  tenth  century,  the  Northmen  settled  Green 
land,  whence,  according  to  the  Icelandic  Sagas,  their  venture 
some  sailors  pushed  westward,  discovering  Newfoundland,  Nova 
Scotia,  and  Vinland  or  Vineland,  which  is  generally  supposed  to 
be  the  coast  of  New  England.  After  that,  other  adventurers 
repeatedly  visited  the  New  World,  explored  the  country,  and 
bartered  with  the  natives.  A  rich  Icelander,  named  Thorfinn 


20 


THE    EARLY     HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 


[1492. 


NORMAN   SHIP   (FROM   THE   BAYEUX   TAPESTRY). 


Karlsefni,  spent  three  winters  on  the  coast  of  Massachusetts, 
where  his  wife  bore  him  a  son  named  Snorre,  said  to  be  the 

first  child  born  of  Euro 
pean  parents  in  this  coun 
try.  The  Northmen,  how 
ever,  finally  forgot  the 
way  across  the  ocean, 
and  almost  the  existence 
of  the  Vinland  their  an 
cestors  had  discovered. 
They  left  behind  them,, 
so  far  as  we  know,  not  a 
trace  of  their  occupation, 
and  were  it  not  for  their 
legends,  we  should  not 
have  dreamed  that  they 
ever  visited  our  shores. 
The  old  stone  tower  at 
Newport,  Rhode  Island, 

long  thought  to  have  been  erected  by  the  Norsemen,  is  very  like 
some  which  are  still  standing  in  the  part  of  England  from  which 
Governor  Arnold  came ;  while  the  singular  inscription  on  the 
rock  at  Dighton  was  quite  probably  made  by  the  Indians. 

Centuries  passed  in  which  no  vessel  essayed  the  forgotten 
passage  across  the  far-stretching  Atlantic.  The  shadows  of  the 
Middle  Ages  were  dispersed,  and  Europe 
was  kindling  with  newly  awakened  life. 
The  Crusades  had  developed  the  mari 
time  importance  of  such  Italian  cities  as 
Genoa,  Pisa,  and  Venice.  A  taste  for 
luxury  had  grown  and  strengthened. 
The  art  of  printing  by  movable  types 
had  just  been  invented,  and  books  of 
travel  were  eagerly  read.  Marco  Polo 
and  other  eastern  travelers  had  told  the 
most  marvelous  stories  of  Asiatic  coun 
tries,  of  "  Cathay"  (China)  and  the  good 
liest  island  of  "  Cipango  "  (Japan),  where 
the  soil  sparkled  with  rubies  and  diamonds,  and  pearls  were  as 
plentiful  as  pebbles.  An  extensive  trade  had  been  opened  up  with 
the  East.  The  shawls,  spices,  precious  stones,  and  silks  of  India 


THE   ANCIENT  TOWER  AT   NEWPORT. 


1492.]  DISCOVERY    OF    AMERICA.  21 

and  Persia  were  brought  to  Europe,  and  sold  in  the  Western  marts. 
But  the  route  was  tedious.  The  goods  were  borne  by  caravans 
to  the  Red  Sea,  carried  by  camels  to  the  Nile,  and  thence  shipped 
across  the  Mediterranean  to  Italy.  The  problem  of  the  age  was 
how  to  reach  the  East  by  sea,  and  thus  transport  these  rich  pro 
ducts  in  ships  directly  to  Europe.  The  earth  was  generally  be 
lieved  to  be  a  great  flat  plain,  washed  on  every  side  by  one  vast 
ocean.  A  few  wise  geographers  had  already  conceived  the  novel 
idea  of  its  rotundity.  But,  in  their  calculations  the  globe  was 
very  much  smaller  than  we  now  know  it  to  be,  and  Asia  extended 
much  further  to  the  east ;  so,  by  sailing  westward  from  Europe 
they  expected,  perhaps  by  a  short  voyage,  to  reach  the  eastern 
shore  of  their  own  continent,  which  was  to  them  the  only  one  in 
the  world.  "  It  is  singular,"  says  Washington  Irving,  "  how  much 
the  success  of  this  great  undertaking  depended  upon  two  happy 
errors,  the  imaginary  extent  of  Asia  to 
the  East,  and  the  supposed  smallness 
of  the  earth  ;  both,  errors  of  the  most 
learned  and  profound  philosophers, 
but  without  which  Columbus  would 
hardly  have  ventured  upon  his  en 
terprise."  Christopher  Columbus,  a 
learned  navigator  of  Genoa,  enthusi 
astically  adopted  these  views.  Many 
events  conspired  to  confirm  his  belief. 
A  globe,  published  by  Martin  Behaim, 
one  of  Columbus's  friends,  in  1492 — the 
very  year  Columbus  made  his  west 
ward  voyage — shows  very  clearly  the  current  idea  at  that  time. 
It  is  curious  to  notice  how  in  this  map  the  dry  details  of  geography 
are  enlivened  by  mermaids  with  golden  tresses  and  azure  eyes, 
sea-serpents,  and  various  monsters  supposed  to  inhabit  these  un 
known,  regions. 

A  westerly  gale  washed  on  the  coast  of  Portugal  a  piece  of 
curiously  carved  wood.  At  the  Madeiras,  canes  of  a  tropical 
growth  were  picked  up  on  the  beach,  and  once  the  bodies  of  two 
men  of  an  unknown  race  were  cast  upon  the  shore.  At  last, 
Columbus  determined  to  test  the  new  theory  by  actually  under 
taking  the  perilous  voyage.  Eighteen  years  of  weary  waiting 
followed.  He  sought  aid  in  Genoa,  Venice,  and  Portugal ;  but  in 
vain.  Finally,  after  innumerable  repulses,  he  obtained  an  audience 


COLUMBUS. 


22 


EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 


[1492. 


%a,*^l 

'••«§*  ff 


'Rr      ' 

^tfiire 
>Inc]icurrP 

(Indian 


A?*,       1 

r      \X      ^     U^;:.J^     ^ 
&&&tt$r*m 


*^^A 

%    ^  j 


EqumoctiunT        ^Orient  <^ 


THE  EASTERN  HEMISPHERE.—  From  Behaim's  Glebe,  1492. 

with  Ferdinand  and  Isabella  of  Spain.  His  demands  seeming 
extravagant,  he  was  refused.  He  left  the  court,  and  was  already 
two  leagues  away,  when  Isabella,  convinced  of  the  grandeur  of 
his  scheme,  called  him  back  and  pledged  her  own  jewels  to  raise 
the  necessary  funds.  This  sacrifice,  however,  was  not  needed,  as 
the  court  treasurer  advanced  money  for  the  outfit.  Three  ships 
were  equipped — the  Santa  Maria,  the  Pinta,  and  the  Nina.  The 
first  only  was  decked,  the  other  two  being  merely  open  boats,  or 
caravels.  The  sailors  were  many  of  them  impressed,  the  bravest 
seamen  shrinking  from  this  hazardous  undertaking.  Columbus 
sailed  from  Palos,  August  3,  1492.  Touching  only  at  the  Cana 
ries,  he  struck  out  boldly  to  the  west. 

Forty  days  had  come  and  gone.     Fresh  terrors  were  born  in 
the  hearts  of  his  fearful  crew.      All  the  laws  of  nature  seemed 


1492.] 


DISCOVERY    OF    AMERICA. 


£J8 


n 


PCirculus     Kquiiioccialls     (Equator) 


0 


f.v 


,       f  i  ~-~,         Minupia 

M^<%    Q 


THE  WESTERN  HEMISPHERE.— 


Behaiin's  Globe,  1492. 


changing-.  The  needle  no  longer  pointed  to  the  star  in  the  north, 
and  they  were  alone,  without  a  guide,  in  the  vast,  trackless  ocean. 
The  trade-winds  blew  them  steadily  westward,  and  there  was  no 
hope  of  returning  against  it.  They  came  into  the  Sargasso  Sea, 
and  now  they  should  certainly  perish  in  the  stagnant  waters. 
At  times,  signs  of  land  appeared,  and  their  hearts  revived  as  they 
saw  in  the  distant  horizon  the  semblance  of  a  shore.  But  it  was 
only  the  clouds  which  mocked  their  hopes,  and  which  faded  away, 
leaving  them  still  on  a  boundless  sea.  Still  the  days  came  and 
went,  and  still  their  prows,  westward  bent,  pointed  only  to 

"  Long  ridgy  waves  their  white  manes  rearing, 
And  in  the  broad  gleam  disappearing; 
The  broadened,  blazing  sun  declining, 
And  western  waves,  like  fire-floods,  shining." 


24 


EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 


[1492, 


COLUMBUS    DISCOVERING    LAND. 


At  last  they  became  turbu 
lent  and  clamorous.  They 
exclaimed  against  Colum 
bus  as  a  wild  fanatic.  They 
thought  of  their  far-away 
homes,  and  demanded  a 
return  from  this  hopeless 

voyage.     They  even  resolved  to  throw  the  admiral  overboard  if 

he  persisted  in  a  refusal.    But  his  iron  will  beat  down  their  feebler 

purposes,  and  he   sternly  reminded 

them  that  the  expedition  had  been 

sent    out    to    seek  the    Indies,   and 

added  that,  happen  what  might,  by 

God's  blessing,  he  should  persevere 

until  he  accomplished  the  enterprise. 
The  very  next  day  brought  new 

hope.      Fresh -water   weeds    floated 

past  their  ships ;  a  branch  of  thorn 

with  berries  on  it ;  and,  above  all,  a 

carved  staff,  which  they  eagerly  ex 
amined.  Not  only  land,  but  inhab 
ited  land  was  before  them.  In  the 

evening,  Columbus,  standing  on  the 

prow  of  his  vessel,  saw  a  light  faintly 

glimmering  in  the  horizon.     At  two 


in      the     morning,     a     Shot     from     the      (From  a  drawing  attributed  to  Columbus.) 


1492.] 


DISCOVERY    OF    AMERICA. 


Pinta  announced  the  joyful  intelligence  that  land  was  in  sight. 
The  dream  of  Columbus  was  realized  at  last.  On  that  mem 
orable  Friday  morning,  October  12,  1492,  a  shore,  green  with 
tropical  verdure,  lay  smiling  before  him.  The  perfume  of  flowers 
filled  the  air,  and  beautiful  birds  hovered  round  singing,  as  it  were, 
"  the  songs  of  the  angels."  Clad  in  scarlet,  and  bearing  in  his 
hand  the  royal  banner  of  Spain,  he  stepped  upon  the  land,  kissing 
it  in  an  overflow  of  joy  and  gratitude.  Thanking  God  for  His 
goodness,  and  planting  the  sacred  cross,  he  took  formal  posses 
sion  of  the  country  in  the  name  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella.  He 
called  the  island  San  Salvador.  Believing  that  he  had  reached 


COLUMBUS     TAKING     POSSESSION. 


the  islands  lying  off  the  eastern  coast  of  India,  he  named  them 
the  West  Indies,  and  the  simple  natives  who  flocked  down  to 
the  shore  to  witness  his  arrival  he  called  Indians.  Afterward 
Columbus  visited  Cuba  and  Hayti.  He  actually  sent  an  envoy 
to  a  chief  in  the  interior  of  Cuba,  supposing  him  to  be  the  king 
of  Tartary.  Hayti  he  thought  to  be  the  Ophir  of  Solomon. 

On  his  return  to  Spain,  Columbus  was  received  with  the  great 
est  enthusiasm.  He  was  accorded  the  rare  honor  of  telling  his 
story  seated  in  the  presence  of  the  king  and  queen.  When  he 
dilated  upon  the  plants,  birds,  gold,  and,  above  all,  the  natives  who 
might  yet  be  converted  to  the  true  faith,  the  two  sovereigns  fell 
upon  their  knees,  while  the  choir  sang  a  hymn  of  thanksgiving. 


26 


EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 


[1498. 


TOMB  OF  COLUMBUS  AT  HAVANA. 


Columbus  afterward  made  three  other  voyages  of  discovery. 
In  1498  he  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  which  he  con 
sidered  the  great  river  Gihon,  having 
its  source  in  the  Garden  of  Eden.  His 
good  fortune,  however,  had  long  since 
deserted  him.  Malice  and  envy  did 
their  worst.  He  was  sent  home  from 
Hispaniola  in  chains,  and  died  at  last 
a  worn-out,  disgraced  old  man,  igno 
rant  of  the  fact  that  he  had  discovered 
a  New  World. 

Meanwhile,  to  other  European  eyes 
than  those  of  Columbus  had  been  grant 
ed  the  first  sight  of  the  mainland.  John 
Cabot,  a  Venetian,  sailing  under  a  com 
mission  from  Henry  VII.  of  England, 
discovered  Cape  Breton,  probably  in 
1494.  He,  however,  like  Columbus, 
was  seeking  the  route  to  the  Indies,  and  supposed  this  to  be  the 
territory  of  the  "Great  Cham,"  king  of  Tartary.  Sebastian  Cabot 
continued  his  father's  explorations,  and  sailed  along  the  coast  as 
far  south  as  Maryland.  He  became  convinced  that  it  was  not  the 
eastern  coast  of  Asia,  but  a  new  continent,  that  had  been  discov 
ered.  As  Vasco  de  Gama,  a  Portuguese,  about  this  time  (1498) 
rounded  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  found  the  long-sought  way 
to  the  East,  little  attention  was  paid  to  the  discoveries  of  Cabot. 
"  He  gave  a  continent  to  England,"  says  Biddle,  "  yet  no  man  can 
point  to  the  few  feet  of  earth  she  has  allowed  him  in  return." 
The  New  World  was  not  destined  to  receive  its  name  from  either 
Cabot  or  Columbus.  Amerigo  Vespucci,  an  Italian  navigator, 
and  a  friend  of  Columbus,  accompanied  an  expedition  which 
reached  the  continent,  and  on  his  return  wrote  some  letters  de 
scribing  his  discoveries.  These  were  published  by  a  German 
geographer,  who  proposed  that  the  new  country  should  be  called 
America,  in  honor  of  his  hero.  People  liked  the  name,  and  it 
soon  came  into  general  use. 


CHAPTER    II. 


AN®   SETTLEMENTS. 


DVENTURERS,  thirsting  for  gold  and  glory, 
now  flocked  to  America  —  the  land  of  wonder 
and  mystery.     Spanish,  French,  and  English 
were   eager  to  explore   this  new  and  richer 
_     Cathay.     Ponce   de    Leon,  an   aged   cava 
lier,  sailed  in  search  of  a  miraculous  foun 
tain  said  to  exist  somewhere  in  the  regions 
discovered  by    Columbus,   whose   magical 
waters,   flowing    over   beds    of   gold    and 
gems,  would   ensure  to  the  old  a  second 
He  did  not  find  the  fountain,  but  he  came 

It  was  Easter  Sun 


youth  and  vigor. 

in  sight  of  a  land  blooming  with  flowers. 

day  (1512),  a  day  which  the  Spaniards  call  Pascua  Florida,  or 

Flowery  Easter.     So  he  gave  the  name  Florida  to  this  beautiful 

region. 

The  following  year  Balboa  crossed  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  and 
from  the  top  of  the  Andes  first  caught  sight  of  the  wide  expanse 
of  the  Pacific  Ocean  glittering  in  the  morning  sun.  Reverently 
kneeling,  he  thanked  God  for  the  wonderful  vision.  Descending 
to  the  shore,  he  waded  into  the  water,  bearing  his  drawn  sword 
in  one  hand  and  the  banner  of  Castile  in  the  other,  taking  pos 
session  of  the  ocean,  and  all  the  coasts  washed  by  its  waters,  for 
the  crown  of  Spain. 

Cortez,  with  a  handful  of  followers,  took  possession  of  Mexico 
and  all  the  fabulous  wealth  of  the  Montezumas.  Pizarro  con 
quered  Peru,  and  revelled  in  the  riches  of  the  Incas. 

De  Soto,  with  a  chosen  band,  explored  the  fastnesses  of 
Florida,  hoping  to  find  "  a  second  Mexico  with  its  royal  palace 
and  sacred  pyramids,  or  another  Cuzco  with  its  Temple  of  the 
Sun  enriched  with  a  frieze  of  gold."  Gay  cavaliers  with  helmet 


28 


EARLY    HISTORY    OF    AMERICA. 


[1541. 


and  lance,  priests  with  holy  vestments  and  vessels,  marched 
through  the  wilderness  for  years.  With  the  fluttering  of  ban 
ners  and  the  clangor  of  trumpets,  they  followed  the  ignis  fatuus 


\\ 


DE   SOTO  S   MARCH. 


of  gold  and  treasure  they  hoped  to  find.  Thus  they  traversed 
Georgia,  Alabama,  and  Mississippi.  In  1541  they  discovered  the 
Mississippi  River.  Beneath  its  muddy  waters  De  Soto  himself 

found  a  grave.  It  was  all  the  New 
World  had  to  give  its  most  knightly 
adventurer. 

The  French  eagerly  followed  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  Spaniards. 
Verazzani,  a  Florentine  in  the  ser 
vice  of  Francis  I.,  coasted  along  the 
shores  of  Carolina  and  New  Jersey, 
and  entered  the  present  harbors 
of  Newport  and  New  York.  He 
named  the  country  New  France, 
and  claimed  it  all  for  his  king. 
The  report  published  on  his  re 
turn  was  the  earliest  account  given  of  the  eastern  coast  of  the 
United  States.  He  thought  the  savages  were  "like  the  people 


JACQUES   CARTIER. 


1534.1 


FRENCH    EXPLORATIONS. 


29 


EAJILY  DISCOVERERS 

ENGLISH  in  Capital  letters. 

French,      in  Soman      " 

Spanish     in  Italic         "  Corte. 


in  the  uttermost  parts  of  China,"  and  that  the  country  was  "not 
void  of  drugs  and  spices  and  other  riches  of  gold,  seeing  that  the 
color  of  the  land  doth  so  much 
argue  it."  In  1534,  Carrier,  a 
mariner  of  St.  Malo,  discovered 
a  magnificent  river,  which  he 
named,  in  honor  of  the  day,  the 
St.  Lawrence.  He  ascended  it, 
hoping  it  would  furnish  a  north 
west  and  shorter  passage  to  the 
Indies ;  but  he  only  reached  the 
present  site  of  Montreal. 

Coligny,  the  famous  French 
admiral,  formed  a  plan  of  found 
ing  an  empire  in  the  New  World 
which  should  offer  an  asylum  to 
the  distressed  Huguenots.  It  was  to  be  a  colony  based  on 
religious  ideas.  This  was  half  a  century  before  the  Pilgrims 


ADMIRAL    COLIGNY. 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1562. 


landed  at  Plymouth.  The  attempt  seemed  full  of  promise,  "  but 
no  Mayflower  ever  sailed  from  a  French  port."  Jean  Ribaut 
commanded  the  first  expedition  (1562).  He  landed  at  Port  Royal. 
The  company  were  delighted  with  the  novelty  of  the  wild  forest 
scenes.  The  new  land  seemed  to  them  "  the  finest,  fruitfulest,  and 
pleasantest  of  all  the  world."  A  fort  was  erected,  and  named 
Carolina,  after  Charles  IX.  of  France.  Thirty  men  were  selected 
to  remain,  while  Ribaut  returned  to  France.  This  little  party 
was  now  alone  with  the  savage  and  the  wilderness.  They  found 
no  gold.  Hunger  came,  and  home-sickness.  The  green  woods 
became  a  dismal  prison,  and  the  solitude  a  terror.  They  resolved 
to  escape  at  every  peril.  Building  a  frail  bark,  they  turned  the 
prow  toward  France.  A  storm  shattered  their  ship.  At  last,  to 
avoid  starvation,  they  killed  and  ate  one  of  their  own  number, 
whom  the  lot  decided  should  die  for  the  rest.  This  horrible  food 
only  prolonged  their  lives  for  a  new  misfortune.  After  perils 
and  sufferings  untold,  they  had  just  come  in  sight  of  their  own 
cherished  coast  when  they  were  taken  prisoners  and  carried  to 
England. 

Two  years  afterward  a  second  attempt  was  made  by  Laudon- 
niere,  and  a  fort  built  on  St.  John's  River,  or  the  River  of  May,  as 
they  styled  it.  Here  his  company  of  adventurers,  greedy  of  gain 

and  of  gold,  quar 
reled  among  them 
selves,  fought  with 
the  Indians,  and, 
too  lazy  to  till  the 
land,  starved  as 
easily  and  slowly 
as  they  could. 
But  the  Spanish 
were  by  no  means 
willing  to  relin 
quish  their  claim 
to  Florida — as  all 
North  America 

OLD    GATEWAY   AT  ST.    AUGUSTINE,    FLORIDA.  W3S      at      that       tlHlC 

called     by    them. 

Melendez,  a  brutal  soldier,  was  sent  by  Philip  II.  to  occupy  Florida 
and  drive  out  the  French.  They  sighted  land  on  St.  Augustine's 
day  (August  28,  1565).  The  foundations  of  a  town,  now  the  oldest 


1565.]  ENGLISH    EXPLORATIONS.  31 

in  the  United  States,  were  soon  laid  and  named  in  honor  of  that 
saint.  Burning  with  zeal,  Melendez,  with  five  hundred  soldiers, 
then  hurried  northward  through  the  wilderness,  and  in  the  midst 
of  a  terrible  tempest  attacked  the  French  fort  and  massacred 
nearly  all  the  colonists. 

Charles  IX.  did  nothing  to  avenge  the  deed.  A  bold  Gascon, 
Dominique  de  Gourges,  however,  equipped  a  fleet  at  his  own 
expense,  sailed  across  the  ocean,  stormed  the  Spanish  forts  on 
the  River  of  May,  and  put  the  garrison  to  the  sword,  under  the 
very  trees  where  they  had  slaughtered  the  captured  Huguenots. 
Thus  ended,  for  a  time,  the  French  attempts  in  the  New  World. 

During  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  the  English  made 
repeated  efforts  to  explore  and  colonize  this  country.  Frobisher, 
seeking  in  vain  to  find  the  northwest  passage  to  India,  entered 
Baffin's  Bay,  and  claimed  the  whole  country  for  the  crown  of 
England.  Drake,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  Magellan,  rounded 
Cape  Horn,  ascended  the  western  shore  of  America  as  far  as  the 
present  boundary  of  Oregon,  and,  returning,  refitted  his  ship  in 
the  harbor  of  San  Francisco  (15/9).  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert 
sought  to  establish  a  colony  in  Newfoundland.  Returning  home 
in  the  Squirrel,  a  little  bark  of  ten  tons,  it  was  overtaken  by  a 
fearful  storm.  Sitting  aft,  with  a  book  in  his  hand,  Gilbert  was 
heard  to  cry  out  to  his  companions  in  the  other  ship,  "We  are 
as  near  Heaven  by  sea  as  by  land."  That  night  the  lights  of  the 
Squirrel  suddenly  disappeared,  and  neither  ship  nor  sailors  were 
ever  seen  again.  Gilbert's  half-brother,  the  famous  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  having  secured  a  patent  for  a  vast  extent  of  territory 
which  he  called  Virginia,  in  honor  of  the  "Virgin  Queen"  of 
England,  made  several  unsuccessful  attempts  to  establish  settle 
ments  therein.  The  first  colony  was  planted  on  Roanoke  Island 
(1585).  Instead  of  tilling  the  ground,  the  settlers  hunted  for  gold. 
Finding  none,  they  were  only  too  glad  to  return  home  with 
Drake,  who  happened  to  stop  there  on  one  of  his  buccaneering 
expeditions.  They  brought  back  with  them  the  weed  which  the 
lethargic  Indians  used  for  smoking,  and  the  custom  of  "  drinking 
tobacco,"  as  it  was  called,  soon  became  exceedingly  popular,  in 
spite  of  the  anathemas  of  the  physicians,  the  Puritans,  and  even 
of  King  James  himself,  who  wrote  a  tract  against  its  use.  It  is 
said  that  one  day,  when  Raleigh  was  sitting  in  his  study  privately 
practicing  this  new  accomplishment,  his  servant  entered  with  a 
tankard  of  ale.  Seeing  his  master  with  a  cloud  of  smoke  issuing 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1587. 


from  his  mouth,  the  terrified  domestic  dashed  the  ale  in  his  face  as 
a  partial  extinguisher,  and  rushed  down  the  stairs  screaming  for 
instant  help,  for  Sir  Walter  would  soon  be  burnt  to  ashes. 

Another  colony 

•  *?<s**L 

~ 


was  now  sent  to 
Virginia.  It  hap 
pily  consisted  of 
families.  The  pre 
sence  of  woman 
brought  cheerful 
ness  and  beauty, 
and  in  the  pros 
pect  of  home  cir 
cles  and  influence 
it  bade  fair  to  be 
permanent.  The 
"  City  of  Raleigh  " 
was  founded  on 
the  site  of  the 
former  settlement. 
A  faithful  Indian 
chief  was  here  bap 
tized  and  received  the  rank  of  a  feudal 
baron — Lord  of  Roanoke.  Here,  also, 
was  born  the  first  child  of  English  parents  on 
the  soil  of  the  United  States — Virginia  Dare,  grand-daughter  of 
Governor  White.  The  threatened  invasion  of  the  Armada  occu 
pying  the  attention  of  England,  it  was  three  years  before  supplies 
were  sent  out  to  the  infant  colony.  When  at  last  the  long-delayed 
ship  sailed  into  the  harbor  she  found  it  silent  as  the  grave. 
The  homes  were  all  deserted,  and  not  a  living  thing  remained 
to  tell  the  fate  of  their  once  hopeful  occupants.  On  the 
trunk  of  a  tree  was  found  carved  the  name  of  a  distant  island, 
Croatan.  The  lateness  of  the  season  forbade  any  attempt  to  seek 
the  island,  and,  appalled  by  the  desolation  and  ruin  which  they 
beheld,  the  fleet  returned  without  leaving  a  settler  behind.  To 
this  day  the  "  Lost  Colony  of  Roanoke  "  remains  a  mystery. 

A  century  had  now  passed  since  the  discovery  of  America,  but 
as  yet  neither  English  nor  French  had  planted  a  permanent  colony, 
save  in  the  graves  of  their  heroic  adventurers.  The  Spaniards 
had,  north  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  only  a  feeble  settlement  at 


KALEIGH    INTRODUCES   TOBACCO 
INTO    ENGLAND 


1600.] 


SETTLEMENT    OF    VIRGINIA. 


33 


St.  Augustine  and  another  at 

Santa    Fe.      The    difficulties 

which  attended  the   passage 

of  the  Atlantic,  the  perils  of 

the  wilderness,  the  treachery 

of  the  Indians,  all  conspired  to  prevent  the  rapid  colonization  of 

the   New  World.      The  experience  of  every  attempt   could  be 

summed  up  in  the  quaint  language  of  the  English  company  under 

Captain  Popham,  "  We  found  only  extreme  extremities." 

Early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  several  successful  trading 
voyages  called  the  attention  of  English  merchants  and  noblemen 
to  the  question  of  American  colonization.  King  James  I.  accord 
ingly  divided  the  vast  territory  called  Virginia,  extending  from 
Cape  Fear  to  Passamaquoddy  Bay,  between  two  rival  companies, 
the  London  and  the  Plymouth.  The  former  was  to  have  the 
southern,  and  the  latter  the  northern  portion;  and,  to  prevent 
disputes,  their  settlements  were  to  be  at  least  one  hundred  miles 
apart.  All  the  region  south  of  this  grant  was  known  as  Florida, 
and  all  north,  as  New  France.  A  book  of  the  time  defines  Vir 
ginia  as  "  that  country  of  the  earth  which  the  ancients  called 
Mormosa,  between  Florida  and  New  France." 
3 


34 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1607. 


SETTLEMENT    OF    VIFJQIJN1A. 

On  April  26,  1607,  a  fleet  of  three  vessels  sent  out  by  the 
London  Company  entered  Chesapeake  Bay.  Captain  John 
Smith,  afterward  called  "  The  Father  of  Virginia,"  was  on  board, 
but  in  chains,  a  victim  to  the  jealousy  of  meaner  men.  As  they 
rode  into  that  magnificent  harbor,  they  passed  two  headlands, 
which  they  called  Charles  and  Henry,  after  their  young  princes 
at  home.  The  good  anchorage  inside  suggested  the  name  Old 
Point  Comfort,  and  the  noble  stream  they  now  ascended  was 
styled  James  River,  after  the  king.  Their  first  settlement  was 

also  loyally  christened  James 
town.  The  crumbling,  ivy- 
clad  church  tower  still  stand 
ing  on  the  banks  of  the  James, 
about  fifty  miles  from  its  mouth, 
marks  the  site  of  the  oldest  Eng 
lish  settlement  in  the  United 
States.  The  colonists  were 
poorly  qualified  for  the  work 
they  had  undertaken.  There 
were  no  families,  yet  they  were 
to  establish  homes  in  the  wil 
derness.  There  were  houses 
to  build,  yet  they  numbered 
only  four  carpenters  to  forty- 
eight  labor -despising  gentle 
men.  They  were  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  a  colony,  yet  they  had  but  twelve  laborers.  The 
first  year,  the  gentlemen  spent  their  time  in  searching  for  gold, 
when  they  should  have  been  planting  corn.  Food  soon  became 
scarce.  Before  autumn,  sickness  swept  away  half  their  number. 
Wingfield,  the  president  of  the  council  appointed  by  the  king  for 
their  government,  was  unfaithful  and  avaricious,  and  even  tried 
to  escape  to  the  Indies  with  the  best  of  their  scanty  stores. 

Smith,  by  the  power  of  his  genius,  now  rose  to  command. 
"  He  proved  more  wakeful  to  gather  provisions  than  the  covet 
ous  were  to  find  gold  ;  and  strove  to  keep  the  country  more  than 
the  faint-hearted  to  abandon  it."  He  declared  that  "  He  who 
will  not  work  may  not  eat."  He  was  the  first  to  clearly  compre- 


TriE   RUINS   AT   JAMESTOWN. 


1607.] 


SETTLEMENT    OF    VIRGINIA. 


35 


hend  that  nothing  was  to  be  gained  by  the  colony  except  through 
labor.  He  taught  the  gentlemen  to  swing  the  axe  until  they 
became  accomplished  wood-cutters.  Enforcing  morality  as  well 
as  industry,  he  kept  an  account  of  all  profanity,  and  at  night 
poured  a  cup  of  cold  water  down  the  sleeves  of  the  offenders. 
Yet  the  colonists,  we  are  told,  "  built  a  church  that  cost  fifty 
pounds  and  a  tavern  that  cost  five  hundred."  Smith  wrote  home: 
"  I  entreat  you  rather  send  but  thirty  carpenters,  husbandmen, 
gardeners,  fishermen,  blacksmiths,  masons,  and  diggers -up  of 
trees'  roots  than  a  thousand  such  as  we  have." 


SMITH   SHOWING   HIS   COMPASS   TO   THE   INDIANS. 


Meanwhile,  Smith  made  many  expeditions,  cultivating  the 
friendship  of  the  Indians,  exploring  the  country,  and  bringing 
back  supplies  of  food  for  the  colony.  He  went  northward  as  far 
as  Maine,  and  on  one  of  his  maps  the  names  "  Plymouth  "  and 
"  Cape  Ann  "  first  appear.  In  an  expedition  up  the  Chesapeake, 
he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Indians.  With  great  coolness  he 
amused  his  captors  by  an  astronomical  lecture,  exhibiting  his 
compass,  and  showing  them  how  "  the  sun  did  chase  the  night 
round  about  the  world  continually."  They  allowed  him  to  send 
letters  to  Jamestown,  and,  having  no  idea  of  a  written  language 
themselves,  were  astonished  at  his  making  the  paper  talk  to  his 
friends  of  his  condition.  With  commendable  forethought,  the  gun 
powder  taken  from  him  was  carefully  laid  aside  for  planting  the 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1608. 


next  year.  The  illustrious  captive  was  carried  from  place  to  place 
over  the  same  peninsula  since  rendered  famous  by  McClellan's 
campaign.  On  being  brought  to  the  great  chief  Powhatan,  his 
good  fortune  seemed  to  fail  him,  and  he  was  condemned  to  die. 
According  to  Smith's  account,  his  head  was  laid  on  a  stone,  and 
the  Indian's  war-club  was  raised  to  strike  the  final  blow,  when 
Pocahontas,  the  young  daughter  of  the  chief,  whose  love  the  cap 
tive  had  won,  rushed  forward,  threw  her  arms  about  his  neck 
and  arrested  the  descending  blow.  Powhatan,  touched  by  this 
act  of  devotion,  released  the  prisoner. 

The  little  Indian  maiden  often  thereafter  aided  the  colonists, 
bringing   them  food  and  warning   them   of  danger.      She  grew 

up  to  be  a  beauti 
ful  woman  and  was 
converted  to  the 
Christian  religion. 
In  the  little  church 
at  Jamestown  she 
was  baptized  from 
the  pine  trough 
which  was  used  as 
a  font,  and  in  her 
broken  English  plighted  her  faith  to 
a  young  planter  named  John  Rolfe.  In 
1616  he  took  his  dusky  wife  to  England. 
Lady  Rebecca,  as  she  was  called,  "the 
first  Christian  ever  of  her  nation,"  by  her 
naive  simplicity  and  goodness,  won  universal 
admiration.  It  is  said,  however,  that  King 
James  was  jealous  of  Rolfe,  fearing  that,  "  hav 
ing  married  an  Indian  princess,  he  might  lay  claim  to  the  crown 
of  Virginia."  So  high  did  the  tide  of  royalty  run  in  those  days 
that  Rolfe  came  near  being  called  to  account  for  having  pre 
sumed,  a  private  person,  to  marry  into  the  royal  family  of  even  a 
petty  Indian  tribe.  Owing  to  this  same  jealousy,  Smith  dared 
not  allow  Rebecca  to  call  him  father,  as  she  had  been  accustomed 
to  do.  Just  as  she  was  preparing  to  return  to  her  wilderness 
home,  Lady  Rebecca  died,  leaving,  however,  a  son,  from  whom 
some  of  the  most  distinguished  families  of  Virginia  have  been 
proud  to  boast  their  descent. 

Meanwhile,    Smith    was    wounded    and    forced    to   return    to 


I'OCAHONTAS. 


1609.]  SETTLEMENT    OF    VIRGINIA.  37 

England.  He  never  received  for  all  his  services  a  foot  of  ground, 
not  even  the  house  he  had  built,  nor  the  land  he  had  cultivated. 
Deprived  of  his  care,  everything  went  to  ruin.  A  winter  of  hor 
rible  famine — long  remembered  in  their  annals  as  the  "  Starving 
Time"  —  ensued.  Thirty  of  their  number  seized  a  ship  and 
turned  pirates.  In  six  months  the  colony  was  reduced  from  five 
hundred  to  sixty.  These  fled  in  despair  from  the  terrible  place — 
some  even  bent  upon  burning  the  town  where  they  had  suffered  so 
fearfully.  As,  dropping  down  the  river,  they  neared  the  open 
sea,  they  met  their  new  governor,  Lord  Delaware,  coming  with 
supplies.  A  sudden  revulsion  of  feeling  followed.  Overawed  at 
the  change  in  their  condition,  they  returned  to  their  deserted 
homes  with  a  chastened  joy.  "  It  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts !  "  said 
they ;  "  God  will  raise  our  state  and  build  his  church  in  this 
excellent  clime." 

Now  came  better  times.  A  new  charter  was  obtained  from 
the  king.  The  council  in  London,  which  had  heretofore  stupidly 
tried  to  govern  the  colony,  was  abolished.  The  settlers  obtained 
"a  hande  in  governing  of  themselves."  June  28,  1619,  the  first 
legislative  body  was  assembled  in  America.  It  consisted  of  the 
governor,  council,  and  the  house  of  burgesses,  or  deputies  from  the 
different  boroughs  or  plantations.  Every  freeman  had  the  right 
to  vote.  A  written  constitution  was  granted,  and  the  foundations 
of  civil  liberty  were  laid  in  Virginia.  A  hardier  and  better  class 
of  men  began  to  flock  to  the  New  World.  New  settlements 
were  established  and  plantations  lined  both  banks  of  the  James 
River  as  far  as  the  present  site  of  Richmond. 

Tobacco  had  proved  a  valuable  article  of  export.  It  was 
cultivated  so  eagerly  that  at  one  time  the  gardens  and  even  the 
public  squares  and  streets  of  Jamestown  were  planted  with  it. 
The  production  of  this  staple  greatly  increased  the  demand  for 
labor.  At  first  "apprenticed  servants"  were  sent  over  from 
England  and  bound  out  to  the  planters  for  a  term  of  years  ;  being 
often  men  who  had  committed  some  crime  or  had  rebelled 
against  the  government.  In  1619,  twenty  negroes  were  brought 
by  a  Dutch  ship  and  were  quickly  purchased  by  the  planters. 
From  this  small  beginning  sprang  the  institution  of  slavery,  which 
afterward  became  so  important  an  element  in  the  history  of  the 
United  States. 

As  yet,  few  of  the  feebler  sex  had  dared  to  cross  the  At 
lantic,  but  about  this  time  the  proprietors  sent  out  a  load  of 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1619. 


industrious,  virtuous  young  women,  who  were  sold  as  wives  to  the 
planters  for  one  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco  per  head.  So  great 
was  the  demand  that,  as  the  records  quaintly  tell  us,  "  one  widow  " 

who  was  sent  over 
in  a  subsequent  lot 
went  readily  with 
the  rest,  and  the 
price  of  the  "  faire 
maidens"  ran  up 
to  a  hundred  and 
fifty  pounds  of 
the  market  weed. 
Domestic  ties 
were  now  formed, 
homes  established, 
and  the  perma 
nence  of  the  col 
ony  was  insured. 

During  the  life 
of  P  o  w  h  a  t  a  n, 
there  was  peace 
with  the  Indians, 

but  after  his  death  they  resolved  to  exter 
minate  the  colony  (1622).  Distributing 
themselves  in  small  parties,  they  entered  the 
houses  and  even  sat  down  at  the  tables  of  those  whose  death  they 
were  planning.  At  a  given  signal  they  fell  upon  the  whites  in  all 
the  outlying  plantations.  Jamestown  fortunately  escaped,  through 
the  faithfulness  of  a  converted  Indian.  A  merciless  war  ensued. 
After  a  second  massacre,  some  years  later,  the  Indians  were  ex 
pelled  from  the  region,  and  their  rich  lands  along  the  York  and 
the  James  occupied  by  the  planters. 

According  to  the  idea  of  King  James,  the  London  Company 
was  too  willing  to  grant  rights  to  the  colonists.  He  therefore 
took  away  its  charter  and  made  Virginia  a  royal  province 
(1624).  Thereafter  the  king  appointed  the  governor  and  the 
council,  though  the  colony  retained  its  assembly.  The  royal 
governors  were  oftentimes  unprincipled  men,  who  ruled  for  their 
own  good  and  not  that  of  the  settlers,  showing  no  sympathy  for 
the  province  and  no  care  for  the  people.  The  Navigation  Acts 
passed  by  the  parliament  in  1660,  which  were  intended  to  give 


THE    PLANTERS. 


1660.]  SETTLEMENT    OF    VIRGINIA.  39 

England  the  control  of  the  trade  of  the  colonies,  pressed  heavily 
on  Virginia.  They  required  that  the  commerce  of  the  colony 
should  be  carried  on  in  English  vessels,  all  their  tobacco  shipped 
to  England,  and  all  their  goods  purchased  in  that  country. 

The  colony  contained  few  towns  or  centres  of  influence.  The 
cultivation  of  tobacco,  as  the  great  staple,  and  the  introduction  of 
slaves,  naturally  led  to  the  establishment  of  large  estates.  These 
often  descended  to  the  eldest  son  and  were  perpetuated  in  the 
family.  The  great  proprietors  were  generally  men  of  intelligence, 
accustomed  to  control.  They  became  the  magistrates  and  mem 
bers  of  the  council  and  assembly.  A  powerful  landed  aris 
tocracy  was  thus  growing  up  and  obtaining  rule  in  the  prov 
ince.  Virginia  was  also  intensely  royal.  During  the  civil  war  in 
England  it  sided  with  the  king.  After  the  execution  of  Charles  I. 
many  loyalists  took  refuge  on  the  shores  of  the  Chesapeake.  There 
they  found  "  every  house  a  hostelry  and  every  planter  a  friend." 
At  one  time  there  was  even  a  possibility  of  the  young  prince 
coming  to  the  New  World.  Cromwell,  however,  sent  over  a 
ship  of  war  to  Virginia,  and  the  colonists  quickly  submitted. 

Under  the  Commonwealth,  the  People  of  Virginia  were 
allowed  to  elect  their  own  officers  and  to  enjoy  all  the  privileges 
of  an  equal  franchise.  A  change,  however,  was  at  hand.  The 
news  of  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II.  aroused  transports  of  joy, 
but  it  was  the  knell  to  the  political  privileges  of  the  common 
people.  The  next  assembly  (1661)  consisted  almost  entirely  of 
cavaliers  and  great  landholders.  The  Church  of  England  was 
made  that  of  the  colony.  All  had  to  contribute  to  its  support. 
In  each  parish  a  board  of  vestrymen  was  appointed,  with  power 
to  assess  taxes  and  fill  any  vacancy  in  its  body.  Dissenters 
were  heavily  punished.  A  fine  of  twenty  pounds  was  imposed 
on  absentees  from  church.  Baptists  were  declared  to  be  "  filled 
with  new-fangled  conceits  of  their  own  heretical  invention."  A 
member  who  was  thought  to  be  kindly  disposed  toward  the 
Quakers  was  expelled  from  the  Board  of  Burgesses.  The  right 
of  suffrage  was  confined  to  freeholders  and  housekeepers.  The 
vestrymen  became  a  close  corporation  and  imposed  taxes  at 
pleasure.  The  assemblymen  remained  in  office  after  their  term 
had  expired,  and  voted  themselves  a  daily  pay  of  two  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  of  tobacco  (about  nine  dollars  in  value)  —  an 
enormous  salary  for  those  days  of  poverty. 

The    common    people,   feeling    themselves    deprived    of   the 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[16T6. 


political  rights  they  had  so  long  enjoyed,  were  ready  for  an 
uprising.  Little  knots  of  men  gathered  in  the  gloom  of  the 
woods  to  talk  over  their  wrongs.  A  young  planter  named 
Nathaniel  Bacon,  known  in  history  as  the  "  Virginia  Rebel," 
sympathizing  with  the  democracy,  became  its  leader,  July,  1676. 
Governor  Berkeley  not  proving  able  to  protect  the  frontier  from 
the  Indians,  Bacon  rallied  the  frightened  yeomanry,  put  the  In 
dians  to  rout,  and  then,  returning,  forced  Berkeley  to  dissolve  the 
old  assembly  and  issue  writs  for  a  new  election.  The  governor, 
however,  failed  to  keep  faith,  and  civil  war  broke  out.  James 
town  was  burnt,  patriots  firing  their  | 
own  houses,  lest  they  might  protect 
the  enemies  to  their  liberty.  Bacon 
died  in  the  midst  of  success.  Dis 
pirited  by  his  loss, 
the  people  scat 
tered  their  forces. 
The  principal  men 
were  hunted  down 
with  ferocious 
zeal.  Hansford, 
a  gallant  native 
Virginian,  per 
ished  on  the  scaf 
fold,  the  first  mar 
tyr  to  the  cause 
of  American  lib 
erty.  His  last 
words  were,  "  I 
die  a  loyal  subject 
and  a  lover  of  my 
country."  As 
William  Drummond  was  brought  in,  the  vindictive  Berkeley, 
bowing  low,  remarked  with  cruel  mockery,  "  I  am  more  glad  to 
see  you  than  any  man  in  Virginia.  You  shall  be  hanged  in 
half  an  hour."  The  patriot  was  condemned  at  one  o'clock  and 
hanged  at  four  the  same  day.  The  gallows  received  twenty-two 
victims,  and  yet  Berkeley's  revenge  was  not  satisfied.  Charles  II., 
when  he  heard  the  tidings,  impatiently  exclaimed,  "  The  old  fool 
has  taken  more  lives  in  that  naked  country  than  I  did  for  the  mur 
der  of  my  father." 


DRUMMOND    BROUGHT   BEFORE   BERKELEY. 


1676.]  SETTLEMENT    OF    MARYLAND.  41 

Berkeley  was  recalled.  But  the  rebellion  had  been  a  century 
too  early.  The  governor  who  succeeded  ruled  more  arbitrarily 
than  ever.  The  king  appointed  all  officers  of  the  colony.  Even 
the  members  of  the  assembly  were  hereafter  elected  only  by  free 
holders.  Yet  as  the  spirit  of  liberty  spread,  the  people  found 
means  to  thwart  their  oppressors,  and  in  spite  of  adverse  circum 
stances,  the  colony  grew  rapidly  in  wealth  and  population. 
"  There  was  no  need  of  a  scramble ;  abundance  gushed  from  the 
earth  for  all.  The  morasses  were  alive  with  water-fowl ;  the 
creeks  abounded  with  oysters,  heaped  together  in  inexhaustible 
beds ;  the  rivers  were  alive  with  fish  ;  the  forests  were  nimble 
with  game ;  the  woods  rustled  with  coveys  of  quails  and  wild 
turkeys,  while  they  rung  with  the  merry  notes  of  singing 
birds ;  and  hogs,  swarming  like  vermin,  ran  at  large  in  troops. 
It  was  the  best  poor  man's  country  in  the  world."  In  1688  it 
had  a  population  of  fifty  thousand,  and  exported  twenty-five 
thousand  hogsheads  of  tobacco,  on  which  England  levied  a  tax 
-of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  pounds. 


SETTLEMENT  oy  JVIAFJYLAJND. 

Lord  Baltimore  (George  Calvert)  came  to  Virginia  (1629), 
seeking  a  refuge  for  his  Catholic  brethren,  who  were  then  perse 
cuted  in  England;  but  finding  that  persons  of  his  faith  were 
harshly  treated,  he  secured  from  the  king  a  grant  of  land  north  of 
the  Potomac,  on  the  annual  payment  of  two  Indian  arrows  and 
one-fifth  of  the  gold  and  silver  which  might  be  found.  This  ter 
ritory  received  the  name  Maryland,  in  honor  of  the  queen,  Henri 
etta  Maria.  Its  charter,  unlike  that  granted  to  Virginia,  gave  to 
all  freemen  the  right  of  making  the  laws.  All  sects  were  to  be 
tolerated,  and  there  was  to  be  no  interference  from  the  king,  nor 
any  English  taxation. 

The  first  colony  was  founded  at  an  Indian  town  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Potomac.  Religious  liberty  obtained  a  home,  its  first  in 
the  wide  world,  at  the  humble  village  of  St.  Mary's.  The  infant 
colony  flourished  wonderfully.  The  land  had  already  been  tilled 
by  the  Indians  and  was  ready  for  planting.  Food  was  plenty 
and  contentment  reigned.  Tobacco  became  the  staple  ;  slaves 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1634. 


were  introduced  ;  and  much  the  same  manners  and  customs  ob 
tained  as  in  Virginia.      There  was,  for  a  time,  serious  difficulty 

with  a  colony  of  refugees  from 
Virginia  under  Clayborne,  who 
refused  to  submit  to  the  new  gov 
ernment.  The  Puritans,  coming^ 
in  large  numbers,  obtained  the 
majority  over  the  Catholics. 
Two  governors  were  elected; 
one  Catholic  and  the  other 
Protestant.  Confusion  ensued,, 
and  then  civil  war.  Finally 
the  Catholics  found  themselves 
disenfranchised  in  the  very  col 
ony  they  had  planted.  In  1715, 
the  fourth  Lord  Baltimore  re 
covered  the  government,  and 
religious  toleration  was  again 
granted.  Maryland  remained 
under  this  administration  until 


LORD    BALTIMORE. 


the  Revolution. 


Of    PLYMOUTH    COLOJNY. 

One  stormy  day  in  the  fall  of  1620,  the  Mayflower  dropped 
anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Cape  Cod.  It  bore  a  little  band  of  one 
hundred  and  two  Pilgrims.  They  had  neither  charter  from  the 
king  nor  the  patronage  of  any  company.  They  were  exiles  flee 
ing  from  persecution  at  home  and  seeking  religious  freedom  in 
the  New  World.  They  had  expected  to  settle  the  milder  coun 
try  near  the  Hudson,  but  instead  were  borne  to  the  tempestuous 
coast  of  Massachusetts.  Before  any  one  landed,  they  assembled  in 
the  cabin  and  signed  a  compact  agreeing  to  submit  to  such  "  just  and 
equal  laws  "  as  should  be  enacted  for  the  "  general  good."  John 
Carver  was  chosen  governor.  They  sailed  about  for  a  month  seek 
ing  a  good  location  for  their  intended  settlement.  Meanwhile,  Cap 
tain  Miles  Standish  and  his  soldiers,  each  armed  with  coat  of  mail, 
sword,  and  match-lock  musket,  explored  the  country  by  land. 


1620.] 


SETTLEMENT    OF    PLYMOUTH    COLONY 


43 


SIGNING   THE   COMPACT. 


The  old  chronicles 
narrate  various  inci 
dents  of  their  differ 
ent  excursions.  One 
day  they  found  "  five 
or  six  people  with 
a  dogge,  who  were 

savages,"  and  who  "  all  ran  away  and  whistled  the  dogge  after 
them."  Then  Bradford  (the  future  governor)  was  caught  in  an 
Indian  deer-trap,  to  the  great  amusement  of  the  party ;  and  after 
ward  they  stumbled  upon  some  heaps  of  earth,  in  one  of  which 
were  baskets  of  Indian  corn.  This  they  carried  back  to  the  ship 
in  a  great  kettle  left  among  the  ruins  of  an  Indian  hut.  It  fur 
nished  them  seed  for  their  first  crop,  and  the  owners,  being  after 
ward  found,  were  carefully  paid.  At  another  time  having  con 
cluded  their  morning-prayers,  they  were  preparing  to  breakfast, 
when  a  strange  yell  was  heard  and  a  shower  of  arrows  fell  in  the 
midst  of  their  little  camp  on  the  beach.  They  returned  the  salute 
with  powder  and  ball,  and  their  savage  assailants  fled. 

The  little  shallop  which  was  used  for  coasting  along  the  shore 
encountered  a  furious  gale,  and  lost  sail,  mast,  and  rudder.  With 
great  difficulty  they  brought  it  to  land.  Darkness  was  already 
upon  them,  and  the  rain  froze  on  their  garments  as  they  stood. 
They  kindled  a  fire  out  of  the  wet  wood  on  the  shore,  and  passed 
the  night  as  best  they  could.  The  next  day  was  spent  in  cleaning 
rusty  weapons,  drying  drenched  "  stuff,"  and  reconnoitering  the 
place.  Every  hour  was  precious.  The  winter  was  rapidly  clos 
ing  in.  The  party  in  the  Mayflower  was  anxiously  awaiting  their 
return,  yet,  being  "  ye  last  day  of  ye  weeke,  they  prepared  ther 
to  keepe  ye  Sabbath." 


PLYMOUTH    ROCK. 


44  EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS.  [1620. 

On  Monday,  December  21,  the  Pilgrims  landed  at  Plymouth. 
A  grateful  posterity  has  kept  the  day  in  honored  remembrance, 
and  "  Forefathers'  Rock,"  on  which  they  first  set  foot,  is  still 
preserved  as  an  object  of  veneration.  It  was  probably  the  only 
stone  large  enough  for  the  purpose  of  landing  in  all  that  bleak, 
sandy  coast. 

The  cutting  blasts  of  winter  fell  upon  them.     Half  of  the  men 
were  sick  from  exposure.     Yet  they  resolutely  set  at  work  build 
ing  rude  log-cabins.     At 
.„>*,  one  time  there  were  only 

seven  well  persons  in  the 
colony.  They  "  carried 
out  the  dead  through  the 
snow  and  the  cold,  and 
returned  to  take  care  of 
the  sick."  When  spring 
came,  the  graves  they 
had  dug  far  outnumbered 
the  houses  they  had  built.  But  the  hearts  of  the  survivors  never 
misgave  them.  When  the  Mayflower  returned  to  England  she 
carried  back  not  a  single  home-sick  pilgrim. 

The  summer  found  them  with  flourishing  fields  of  barley, 
peas,  and  Indian  corn  ;  fish,  wild  fowls,  berries,  and  native  fruits 
in  abundance  ;  nineteen  log-cabins,  each  with  a  little  enclosure  for 
a  private  garden  ;  a  rude  store-house,  twenty  feet  square,  for  the 
protection  of  their  common  property  ;  and  a  platform  on  the  hill 
crowned  with  five  guns  as  a  means  of  defence.  A  little  brook 
ran  by  the  humble  town,  and  springs  of  clear,  fresh  water  were 
near.  That  "  the  birds  sang  in  the  woods  most  pleasantly,"  and 
the  wild  wood-flowers  were  "  very  sweet,"  is  their  own  record, 
and  testifies  to  their  cheerful  content. 

The  feeble  colony  met  with  no  opposition  from  the  Indians. 
A  pestilence  had  nearly  annihilated  several  tribes  inhabiting  that 
portion  of  the  coast,  and  thus,  providentially,  as  the  Pilgrims 
devoutly  believed,  left  a  clear  place  for  them  to  occupy.  One 
pleasant  morning  they  were  startled  by  the  coming  of  an  Indian, 
who,  in  broken  English,  bade  them  "  Welcome."  He  proved 
to  be  Samoset,  a  petty  chief  who  had  picked  up  a  little  of  the 
language  from  the  crews  of  fishing -vessels.  He  afterward 
brought  Massasoit,  the  head  chief  of  the  Wampanoags.  A  treaty 
was  made  with  him  and  faithfully  observed  for  over  half  a  cen- 


1622.]  SETTLEMENT    OF    PLYMOUTH    COLONY. 

^^^te^^J^j^i^j^k^lli 


45 


WELCOME,    ENGLISHMEN. — PLYMOUTH,    1621. 

tury.  In  1622,  Canonicus,  sachem  of  the  Narragansett  tribe,  sent 
to  Plymouth,  as  a  token  of  defiance,  a  bundle  of  arrows  tied  with 
a  rattlesnake's  skin.  The  governor  sent  back  the  same  skin 
stuffed  with  powder  and  ball.  The  superstitious  savages,  think 
ing  it  some  fatal  charm,  passed  it  in  terror  from  hand  to  hand  till 
it  came  back  again  to  Plymouth. 

The  first  crop  proved  inadequate  for  the  winter.  A  new  body 
of  emigrants  arrived,  but  they  were  unprovided  with  food,  and  so 
only  increased  the  privations  and  difficulties  of  the  colony.  Even 
at  the  end  of  three  years  we  are  told  that  "  at  night  they  knew 
not  where  to  have  a  bit  in  the  morning."  At  one  time  there  was 
only  a  pint  of  corn  in  the  settlement,  which  allowed  five  kernels  to 
each  person.  Yet  such  was  their  pious  content  that  at  a  social 
dinner,  consisting  only  of  clams,  eaten  off  the  lid  of  the  same 
chest  on  which  the  compact  was  signed  in  the  cabin  of  the  May 
flower,  good  Elder  Brewster  returned  thanks  to  God  for  having 
"  given  them  to  suck  the  abundance  of  the  seas  and  of  the  treas 
ures  hid  in  the  sand."  The  plan  first  adopted  of  working  their 
lands  in  common  failed,  as  at  Jamestown,  and  a  portion  was 
assigned  each  settler.  Thrifty,  God-fearing,  and  industrious, 
the  Pilgrims  steadily  gained  in  abundance  and  comfort.  Car 
goes  of  sassafras,  then  much  esteemed  in  pharmacy,  furs  and  .him- 


46  EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS.  [1628. 

her  were  sent  to  England.     After  a  time  they  raised  enough  corn 
to  sell  to  fishing-vessels  and  to  barter  with  the  Indians. 

For  over  eighteen  years  the  government  in  church  and  state 
was  a  strict  democracy — all  the  male  inhabitants  forming  the 
legislature.  The  increase  of  population  afterward  caused  it  to  be 
made  representative,  and  each  town  sent  a  committee  to  the  gen 
eral  court.  The  Plymouth  colony  remained  independent  till  1692, 
when  it  was  united  to  that  of  Massachusetts  Bay. 


gETTLEJVlEJNT    OF    MyVS^yVCHUgETTg 

The  success  of  the  Pilgrims  greatly  encouraged  the  establish- 
ment  of  other  settlements.  Large  numbers  of  the  best  Puritan 
families  in  England  were  induced  to  emigrate.  In  1628,  five  ship 
loads  landed  at  a  place  which  they  named  Salem,  from  the  Hebrew 
word  meaning  peace.  Their  circumstances  were  far  different  from 
those  of  the  Pilgrims.  It  was  June  when  they  approached  the 
coast.  "  What  with  pine  woods  and  green  trees  by  land,"  writes 
the  old  chronicler,  "  and  yellow  flames  painting  the  sea,  we  were 
all  desirous  to  see  our  new  Paradise."  They  had  a  grant  from 
the  Council  of  New  England,  which  had  taken  the  place  of  the 
old  Plymouth  Company.  They  had  a  charter  from  the  king, 
authorizing  them  to  govern  themselves.  Moreover,  their  connec 
tions  in  England  were  powerful.  They  brought  tools,  cattle,  and 
horses.  They  were  not,  however,  exempted  from  the  hardships 
incident  to  a  settler's  life.  The  Avinter  was  very  severe  and  they 
were  forced  to  subsist  on  ground-nuts,  shell-fish,  and  acorns,  so 
difficult  to  obtain  at  that  season  of  the  year.  One  of  them 
wrote :  "  Bread  was  so  very  scarce  that  sometimes  I  thought  the 
very  crumbs  of  my  father's  table  would  be  sweet  unto  me. 
And,  when  I  could  have  meal  and  water  and  salt  boiled  together, 
it  was  so  good,  who  could  wish  better?" 

Other  settlements  were  rapidly  formed — Charlestown,  Dor 
chester,  Watertown,  Lynn,  and  Cambridge.  One  thousand  emi 
grants  under  the  highly-esteemed  Governor  Winthrop  estab 
lished  themselves  at  Boston — from  its  three  hills  first  called 
Tri-Mountain — which  became  the  capital  of  the  colony. 

The   government   was   vested   in   a  governor  chosen  by   the 


1630.] 


SETTLEMENT    OF    MASSACHUSETTS    BAY. 


47 


FAC-SIMILE  OF  FIRST  MAP  ENGRAVED  IN  NEW  ENGLAND. 


people,  and  a  legislature  elected  in  the  same  manner.     None  but 
freemen,  however,   could  vote,  and   none   but  church  members 
were  eligible  to  citizen 
ship.   "  Each  settlement," 
says  Hildreth,  "  at  once 
assumed    that    township 
authority  which  has  ever 
formed  so  marked  a  fea 
ture  in  the  political  or 
ganization  of  New  Eng 
land.    The  people  assem 
bled    in    town -meeting, 
voted  taxes  for  local  pur 
poses,  and    chose    three, 
five,  or  seven  of  the  prin 
cipal  inhabitants,  at  first 
under  other  names,  but 
early   known  as   ( select 
men/  who  had  the  expen 
diture  of  this  money  and  the  executive  management  of  town  affairs. 
A  treasurer  and  a  town  clerk  were  also  chosen,  and  a  constable 
was  soon  added  for  the  service  of  civil  and  criminal  processes." 
Each  town  constituted,  in  fact,  a  small  state  almost  complete  in 
itself. 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  what  we  now  call  Massachusetts 
grew  up  around  two  centres,  separated  not  only  by  forty  miles  of 
wilderness,  but  by  a  great  diversity  of  thought.  Plymouth  and 
the  Bay  were  two  little  republics,  that  for  sixty  years  maintained 
their  independence.  In  England,  the  Pilgrims  who  settled  the 
former  were  Separatists  ;  that  is  to  say,  they  had  left  the  Church 
of  England  and  set  up  churches  for  themselves.  The  Puritans, 
who  came  to  the  Bay,  were  Non-conformists  ;  L  e.,  they  simply  re 
fused  to  conform  to  certain  rules  and  usages  of  the  Church  of  Eng 
land,  but  remained,  as  it  were,  members  under  protest.  Plymouth 
was  weak  in  men  and  money ;  the  Bay  was  strong  from  the  first. 
The  former  was  settled  by  plain,  practical  people,  having  only  one 
university  man  —  Elder  Brewster  ;  the  latter  had  a  superabun 
dance  of  highly  educated  persons.  In  1640,  the  Bay  numbered 
seventy-seven  clergymen  ;  they  dominated  in  all  political  action 
and  engrafted  on  the  Puritan  colony  the  best  learning  of  the  Old 
World.  At  Plymouth  all  voted  who  were  elected  to  the  right  of 


48 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1636.. 


citizenship  ;  at  the  Bay,  church  membership  was  a  sine  qua  nonr 
so  that  not  a  quarter  of  the  adults  were  eligible  to  that  trust. 
At  Plymouth  were  found  quiet,  peace,  and  contentment ;  at  the 
Bay,  the  rush  of  business  and  the  strife  of  parties,  impelling  the 
tides  of  life  which  set  off  to  establish  new  centres  in  Connecticut, 
Rhode  Island,  and  other  colonies. 

Religious  toleration  was  rarely  seen  in  those  days.  Indeed, 
those  who  were  themselves  cruelly  persecuted  were  often  the 
most  intolerant  in  their  treatment  of  any  who  differed  with  them. 
The  Puritans  had  crossed  the  sea  to  establish  a  Puritan 
colony,  and  they  required  everybody  to  attend  their  worship. 
A  strict  uniformity  of  belief  was  enforced.  Religious  distur 
bances  soon  arose.  Roger  Williams,  an  eloquent  young  minister, 

had  adopted  the  idea 
of  "  soul  -liberty,"  as 
he  expressed  it,  i.  e., 
the  responsibility  of 
every  man  to  his  own 
conscience  alone.  It 


ROGER   WILLIAMS    RECEIVED    BY    CANONICUS. 


was  a  novel  sentiment  in  those  days,  and  was  especially  unsuited  to 
the  Puritan  method  of  government.  Williams  was  accordingly 
expelled  from  the  colony.  Exiled  by  Christians,  he  found  a  home 
with  Pagans.  Canonicus,  a  Narragansett  chief,  gave  him  land  for 
a  settlement,  which  he  gratefully  called  Providence  (1636).  Mrs. 
Hutchinson,  who  rebelled  at  the  restraints  placed  upon  women, 
and  claimed  to  have  special  revelations  of  God's  will,  was  also 
banished,  and  joined  the  new  colony.  The  Quakers  had  come 
to  Boston  overflowing  with  zeal,  and  even  courting  persecution.. 


1656.] 


KING    PHILIP'S    WAR. 


49 


They  received  it  in  abundance.  Several  were  hanged.  Num 
bers  were  flogged  and  expelled.  These,  too,  found  a  hearty 
welcome  at  the  Providence  plantation,  the  exiled  Williams  freely 
sharing  his  lands  with  religious  refugees  of  every  class.  Thus 
were  laid  the  foundations  of  the  State  of  Rhode  Island.  Its 
fundamental  principle  was  its  founder's  favorite  one  of  entire 
liberty  of  conscience. 

A  union  of  the  colonies  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  Plymouth,  New 
Haven,  and  Connecticut,  was  formed  in  1643,  under  the  title  of 
THE  UNITED  COLONIES  OF  NEW  ENGLAND.  This  was  a  famous 
league  in  colonial  times,  and  was  the  germ  of  the  Federal  Union 
of  later  days.  The  object  was  a  common  protection  against  the 
Indians  and  the  encroachments  of  the  Dutch  and  French  settlers. 

Massasoit,  like  Powhatan,  was  the  friend  of  the  whites.  After 
Massasoit's  death,  his  son,  King  Philip,  as  he  was  called,  brooding 
over  the  constant  encroachments  of  the  settlers,  the  loss  of  game, 
and  the  usurpation  of  his  favorite  hunting-grounds,  at  last  organ 
ized  a  confederation  of  various 
tribes  to  drive  out  the  intruders. 
The  struggle  began  ere  his  plans 
were  completed.  Some  Indians 
being  tried  and  hanged  for  mur 
der,  Philip,  in  revenge,  fell  upon 
Swanzy,  a  little  settlement  near 
his  home  at  Mount  Hope  (1675). 
Troops  came,  and  he  fled,  mark 
ing  his  flight  by  burning  build 
ings  and  by  poles  hung  with  the 
heads,  hands,  and  scalps  of  the 
hapless  whites  whom  he  met 
on  the  way.  All  the  horrors  of 
Indian  warfare  now  burst  upon 
the  doomed  colonists  of  New 
England.  The  settlements  were 
widely  scattered.  The  Indians 
lurked  in  every  forest  and  brake. 
They  watched  for  the  lonely 
settler  as  he  opened  his  door 

in  the  morning,  as  he  was  busy  with  his  work  in  the  field,  or 
walked  along  the  forest  path  to  church.     The  fearful  war-whoop, 
the  deadly  tomahawk,  the  treacherous  ambuscade,  filled  the  col- 
4 


KING     PHILIP. 

(From  an  Old  Print.) 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1675. 


ony  with  constant  terror. 
In  August,  a  company  of 
eighty  young  men, 4<  the  very 
flower  of  the  county  of  Es 
sex,"  were  returning  from 
Deerfield  with  a  train  of 
wagons  loaded  with  wheat, 

which  they  had  harvested.  At  a  little  stream,  ever  since  that  day 
called  Bloody  Run,  they  stopped  to  pick  the  grapes  which  hung 
in  profusion  from  the  trees  along  the  road.  Suddenly  amid  their 
glee,  the  Indians  leaped  upon  them,  like  tigers,  from  the  thicket. 
Only  seven  or  eight  of  the  entire  party  escaped.  While  the  sav 
ages  were  plundering  the  dead,  troops  came  to  the  rescue,  and, 
in  turn,  cut  down  nearly  one  hundred  of  their  number  ere  they 
could  escape. 

At  Hadley,  the  Indians  surprised  the  people  on  Fast  day, 
June  12,  1676.  Seizing  their  muskets  at  the  sound  of  the  savage 
war-whoop,  the  men  rushed  out  of  the  meeting-house  to  fall  into 
line.  But  the  foe  was  on  every  side.  Confused  and  bewildered, 
the  settlers  seemed  about  to  give  way,  when  suddenly  a  strange 
old  man  with  long  white  beard  and  ancient  garb  appeared  among 
them.  Ringing  out  a  quick,  sharp  word  of  command,  he  recalled 


1676.]  SALEM    WITCHCRAFT.  51 

them  to  their  senses.  Following  their  mysterious  leader,  they 
drove  the  enemy  headlong  before  them.  The  danger  passed, 
they  looked  around  for  their  deliverer ;  but  he  had  disappeared 
as  mysteriously  as  he  had  come.  The  good  people  believed 
that  God  had  sent  an  angel  to  their  rescue.  History  reveals 
the  secret.  It  was  the  regicide  Colonel  Goffe.  Fleeing  from  the 
vengeance  of  Charles  II.,  with  a  price  set  upon  his  head,  he  had  for 
years  wandered  about,  living  in  mills,  clefts  of  rocks,  and  forest 
caves.  At  last  he  had  found  an  asylum  with  the  Hadley  minister. 
From  his  window  he  had  seen  the  stealthy  Indians  coming  down 
the  hill.  Fired  with  desire  to  do  one  more  good  deed  for  God's 
people,  he  rushed  from  his  hiding-place,  led  them  on  to  victory, 
and  then  returned  to  his  retreat,  never  more  to  reappear. 

All  the  long  summer  the  cruel  strife  went  on.  But  when 
winter  came,  and  the  forest  was  more  open  and  the  low  ground 
frozen  over,  a  large  body  of  the  colonists  attacked  the  Indians  in 
their  stronghold,  in  an  almost  inaccessible  swamp  in  South  King 
ston.  After  a  desperate  struggle  the  fort  was  carried,  and  the 
wigwams  filled  with  stores  were  burned  to  ashes.  A  thousand 
warriors  were  killed.  The  next  year  Philip  was  left  almost  alone. 
Hunted  from  place  to  place,  he  was  tracked  to  the  centre  of  a 
morass,  where  he  was  shot  by  one  of  his  own  people.  It  was 
a  sad  fate  for  a  brave  man,  who,  under  other  circumstances, 
would  have  been  styled  a  hero  and  a  patriot.  The  war  had  cost 
the  colony  six  hundred  men  and  one  million  dollars.  Every 
eleventh  house  had  been  burned  and  every  eleventh  soldier  killed. 
No  help  had  been  asked  or  received  from  England. 

The  year  1692  is  memorable  as  that  of  the  Salem  Witchcraft. 
This  was  a  delusion  which  seems  preposterous  now,  but  which 
was  then  in  accordance  with  the  current  belief  of  the  times.  It 
broke  out  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Parish,  a  minister  of  Salem,  where 
a  company  of  girls  had  been  in  the  habit  of  meeting  with  two  West 
Indian  slaves,  to  study  the  "  black  art."  Suddenly  they  began  to 
be  mysteriously  contorted,  to  bark  like  dogs,  purr  like  cats,  and 
scream  at  some  unseen  thing  which  was  sticking  pins  in  their  bodies. 
They  accused  an  old  Indian  servant  of  bewitching  them.  On 
being  scourged,  she  acknowledged  the  crime.  A  fast-day  was 
proclaimed.  Cotton  Mather,  a  distinguished  minister  of  Boston, 
and  a  firm  believer  in  the  delusion,  came  to  investigate  the  case. 
The  excitement  spread.  Impeachments  multiplied.  A  special 
court  was  formed  to  try  the  accused.  The  jails  rapidly  filled. 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1692. 


Magistrates  were  busy.  On  the  most  foolish  charges — as  being 
seen  flying  through  the  air  on  a  broom — respectable  people  were 
condemned  to  death.  It  was  dangerous  to  express  doubt  of  a 
prisoner's  guilt.  Fifty-five  persons  suffered  torture  and  twenty 
were  executed.  All  these  might  have  escaped  if  they  had  con 
fessed  themselves  guilty,  but,  with  noble  heroism,  they  chose 
death  rather  than  a  falsehood.  When  the  people  awoke  to  their 


THE   OLD    WITCH    HOUSE — SCENE   OF   EXAMINATIONS   AT  SALEM. 

folly  the  reaction  was  wonderful.  Judge  Sewall  was  so  deeply 
penitent  that  he  observed  a  day  of  fasting  in  each  year,  and  on 
the  day  of  general  fast  rose  in  his  place  in  the  Old  South  Church 
at  Boston,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation  handed  to  the 
pulpit  a  written  confession  acknowledging  his  error,  and  praying 

"  That  the  sin  of  his  ignorance  sorely  rued, 
Might  be  washed  away  in  the  mingled  flood 
Of  his  human  sorrow  and  Christ's  dear  blood." 

The  history  of  Maine  and  New  Hampshire  is  almost  identical 
with  that  of  Massachusetts.  The  early  settlements  grew  up  out 
of  various  fishing  stations  along  the  coast.  A  story  is  told  of  an 
itinerant  preacher,  who,  in  his  exhortations  to  the  people  of  Ports 
mouth,  reminded  them  that  as  they  had  come  thither  for  the  pur 
pose  of  free  worship,  they  ought  to  be  very  religious.  "  Sir,  you 
are  quite  mistaken,"  was  the  reply.  "  You  think  you  are  speak 
ing  to  the  people  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  Our  main  end  is  to  catch 
fish."  Maine  was  not  one  of  the  original  thirteen  colonies,  and 
did  not  separate  from  Massachusetts  till  1820.  New  Hampshire 
was  three  times  given  to  Massachusetts,  either  from  its  own  wish 
or  by  royal  authority.  In  1741  it  became  a  royal  province,  and 
had  its  governor,  who  was  appointed  by  the  king. 


1635.]  THE    PEQUOD    WAR.  53 


£ETTLE]VIEJNT    OF    CONNECTICUT. 

The  valley  of  the  Connecticut — a  name  derived  from  the  Indian 
word  for  long  river — was  settled  from  Massachusetts.  Rumors  of 
its  rich  bottom  lands  early  attracted  the  attention  of  the  pioneers 
struggling  for  an  existence  upon  the  barren  sea-coast  around  Plym 
outh  and  the  Bay.  In  1633  a  company  of  traders  from  Plymouth 
sailed  up  the  river  and  built  a  fort  at  Windsor.  In  the  autumn 
of  1635  John  Steele,  one  of  the  proprietors  of  Cambridge,  led  a 
pioneer  company  "  out  west,"  as  it  was  then  considered,  and  laid 
the  foundations  of  Hartford.  They  passed  the  winter  in  miser 
able  cabins,  half-buried  in  the  snow,  living  precariously  on  corn 
purchased  of  the  Indians.  The  next  year  the  main  band,  with 
their  pastor,  Thomas  Hooker,  a  most  eloquent  and  estimable  man, 
"the  light  of  the  western  churches/'  came,  driving  their  flocks 
before  them,  through  the  wilderness.  For  two  weeks  they 
traveled  on  foot,  traversing  mountains,  swamps,  and  rivers,  with 
only  the  compass  for  a  guide,  and  little  beside  the  milk  from 
their  own  cows  for  their  subsistence.  Mrs.  Hooker  being  ill,  was 
borne  on  a  litter.  They  established  Hartford,  Wethersfield  and 
Windsor,  known  as  the  Connecticut  colony,  giving  the  franchise 
to  all  freemen.  New  Haven  was  settled  by  a  company  of  Puri 
tans  direct  from  England.  Like  the  colony  around  Massachusetts 
Bay,  they  allowed  only  church  members  to  vote. 

The  settlers  had  not  been  a  year  in  their  new  home  when  a 
war  broke  out  with  the  Pequod  Indians.  Roger  Williams,  hear 
ing  that  this  tribe  was  likely  to  obtain  the  aid  of  the  Narragan- 
setts,  forgot  all  the  wrongs  he  had  received  from  the  Massachu 
setts  people,  and,  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  went  to  the  Indian 
council,  confronted  the  Pequod  deputies,  and,  after  a  three-days 
struggle,  prevailed  upon  the  Narragansetts  to  take  part  with  the 
whites.  A  body  of  ninety  Connecticut  colonists  was  now  raised 
to  attack  the  Pequod  stronghold  on  the  Mystic  River.  After 
spending  nearly  all  night  in  prayer,  at  the  request  of  the  sol 
diers,  they  set  out  on  their  perilous  expedition.  On  the  way  they 
were  joined  by  several  hundred  friendly  Indians.  The  party 
approached  the  fort  at  daybreak  (June  4,  1637).  The  barking  of 
a  dog  aroused  the  sleepy  sentinel,  and  he  shouted,  "  Owanux ! 
Owanux !"  (the  Englishmen  !) — but  it  was  too  late.  The  troops 
were  already  within  the  palisades.  The  Indians  collected  them- 


54  EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS.  [1637. 

selves  and  made  a  fierce  resistance ;  but  Captain  Mason,  seizing  a 
firebrand,  hurled  it  among  the  wigwams.  The  flames  quickly 
swept  through  the  encampment.  The  English  themselves  barely 
escaped.  A  few  Indians  fled  to  the  swamp,  but  were  hunted 
down.  The  tribe  perished  in  a  day.  This  fearful  blow  struck 
terror  to  the  savages,  and  gave  New  England  peace  for  forty 
years,  until  King  Philip's  war,  of  which  we  have  spoken.  "  The 
infant  was  safe  in  its  cradle,  the  laborer  in  the  fields,  the  solitary 
traveler  during  the  night-watches  in  the  forest ;  the  houses 
needed  no  bolts,  the  settlements  no  palisades." 

The  younger  Winthrop,  son  of  Governor  Winthrop  of  Massa 
chusetts  and  one  of  the  most  accomplished  men  of  his  time,  went 
to  England,  and  by  his  personal  influence  and  popularity  obtained 
from  Charles  I.  the  most  liberal  charter  as  yet  given  to  the 
colonies.  It  was  a  precious  boon  to  liberty.  Twenty-four  years 
afterward,  Governor  Andros,  pompously  marching  from  Boston 
over  the  route  where  the  pious  Hooker  had  led  his  little  flock  fifty 
years  before,  came  "  glittering  with  scarlet  and  lace  "  into  the 
assembly  at  Hartford,  and  demanded  the  charter.  A  protracted 
debate  ensued.  The  people  crowded  around  to  take  a  last  look  at 

this  guarantee  of  their  liberties, 
when  suddenly  the  lights  were  ex 
tinguished.  On  being  relighted, 
the  charter  was  gone.  William 
Wadsworth  had  seized  It,  escaped 
through  the  crowd,  and  hidden 
it  in  the  hollow  of  a  tree,  famous 
ever  after  as  the  Charter  Oak. 
However,  Andros  pronounced 
the  charter  government  at  an 
end.  "  Finis  "  was  written  at  the 
close  of  the  minutes  of  their  last  meeting. 

The  freedom  of  the  press  was  now  denied.  Persons  about  to 
marry  had  to  give  heavy  bonds  with  sureties.  The  right  to  join 
in  wedlock  was  taken  from  the  clergy  and  given  to  the  magis 
trates.  Payment  of  money  to  non-conformist  ministers  was  for 
bidden.  Farmers  were  required  to  take  out  new  titles  to  their 
land,  at  great  expense.  The  rule  of  the  governor  became  at  last 
unendurable.  When  he  was  finally  deposed,  the  people  brought 
out  the  faded  but  now  doubly-precious  charter  from  its  hiding- 
place,  the  general  court  reassembled,  and  the  "  finis"  disappeared. 


THE    CHARTER    OAK. 


1609.] 


DISCOVERY    OF    THE    HUDSON    RIVER. 


55 


gETTLEJVlEJNT    OF    NEW    YORK. 

This  was  the  only  colony  planted  by  the  Dutch.  In  1609, 
Henry  Hudson,  an  English  navigator  in  the  service  of  the  Dutch, 
while  seeking  a  northwest  passage  to  the  Indies  entered  the 
harbor  of  New  York.  His  vessel,  the  Half-Moon,  was  the  first 
European  ^hip  to  sail  up  that  noble  river  which  now  bears  his 
name.  Strange  was  the  sight  which  greeted  his  wondering  eyes. 
"  Sombre  forests/'  says  Bancroft,  "  shed  a  melancholy  grandeur 
over  the  useless  magnificence  of  nature,  and  hid  in  their  deep 


THE    HALF-MOON    IN   THE    HUDSON. 


shades  the  rich  soil  which  the  sun  had  never  warmed.  No  axe 
had  leveled  the  giant  progeny  of  the  crowded  groves,  in  which 
the  fantastic  forms  of  withered  limbs  that  had  been  blasted  and 
riven  by  lightning  contrasted  strangely  with  the  verdant  fresh 
ness  of  a  younger  growth  of  branches.  The  wanton  grape-vine, 
seeming  by  its  own  power  to  have  sprung  from  the  earth  and  to 
have  fastened  its  leafy  coils  on  the  top  of  the  tallest  forest  tree, 


56  EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS.  [1609. 

swung  in  the  air  with  every  breeze  like  the  loosened  shrouds  of  a 
ship.  Reptiles  sported  in  stagnant  pools,  or  crawled  unharmed 
over  piles  of  mouldering  trees."  Red  men,  too,  were  there : 
sometimes  conciliatory,  as  when  they  flocked  about  in  their 
canoes  to  barter  grapes,  pumpkins,  and  furs  for  beads  and  knives ; 
sometimes  vindictive,  as  when  they  beset  the  little  exploring  boat 
and  sent  Hudson's  long-time  comrade  to  a  grave  on  the  beach. 

About  the  time  that  John  Smith  went  back  to  England,  Hud 
son  turned  his  prow  toward  Holland.  His  voyage  had  rendered 
his  name  immortal.  Legends  of  the  daring  sailor  still  live  among 
the  old  Dutch  families,  and  when  the  black  thunder-clouds  send 
their  crackling  peals  along  the  Palisades,  they  say,  "  Hendrick 
Hudson  and  his  crew  are  playing  nine-pins  now." 

It  was  the  golden  age  of  Dutch  commerce.  Holland  imme 
diately  laid  claim  to  the  country  and  named  it  "  NEW  NETHER- 
LAND."  In  1613  some  huts  were  erected  on  the  present  site  of 
New  York.  The  year  after  the  landing  of  the  Pilgrims,  the 
Dutch  West  India  Company  obtained  a  patent  for  the  territory 
between  the  Delaware  and  the  Connecticut  Rivers.  To  every 
one  who  should  plant  a  colony  of  fifty  persons  they  offered  a 
tract  of  land  sixteen  miles  in  length,  which  they  and  their  heirs 
should  hold  forever.  These  proprietors  were  called  patroons,  or 
lords  of  the  manor.  The  famous  anti-rent  difficulties  of  after 
times  grew  out  of  these  grants. 

To  supply  the  requisite  number  of  emigrants,  ship-captains 
brought  over  many  poor  Germans,  whose  passage-money  was 
paid  by  the  patroons,  whom  they  were  in  turn  bound  to  serve  for 
a  given  term  of  years.  It  was  a  profitable  arrangement  for  all 
concerned.  During  the  period  of  service  the  Redemptioners,  as 
they  were  called,  gained  a  knowledge  of  the  language  and  ways 
of  the  country,  and  were  fitted  to  take  care  of  themselves  when 
they  became  independent.  .In  that  charming  little  volume,  "  New 
York  Society  in  the  Olden  Time,"  a  story  is  told  of  one  of  these 
settlers  who,  having  completed  his  bondage  of  several  years, 
quietly  produced  a  bag  of  gold  which  he  had  brought  over  with 
him,  and  which  was  sufficient  to  purchase  a  farm.  But,  said  his 
late  master  in  surprise,  "  why,  with  all  this  money,  did  you  not 
pay  your  passage,  instead  of  serving  as  a  redemptioner  so  long?" 
"  Oh,"  said  the  cautious  emigrant  from  the  Rhine,  "  I  did  not  know 
English,  and  I  should  have  been  cheated.  Now  I  know  all  about 
the  country,  and  I  can  set  up  for  myself."  Which  was  true  phil- 


1629.] 


SETTLEMENT    OF    NEW    YORK. 


57 


osophy.  These  industrious  settlers  became  respected  citizens, 
and  their  descendants  are  to-day  among  the  wealthy  farmers 
along  the  Hudson. 

Peter  Minuits  came  over  as  first  governor  in  1626.  He 
bought  the  Island  of  Manhattan  of  the  Indians  for  twenty-four 
dollars.  Here  was  founded  the  city  of  New  Amsterdam.  Trade 
was  opened  with  the  Indians,  and  canoes  pushed  up  every  neigh 
boring  inlet  to  barter  for  otter  and  beaver  skins.  Meanwhile 
there  was  trouble  with  the  Swedes  on  the  Delaware,  and  the 
English  on  the  Connecticut,  both  of  whom  had  settled  on  lands 
claimed  by  the  Dutch.  Then,  too,  there  was  a  fearful  massacre 
of  Indians,  perpetrated  by  Governor  Kieft,  and  in  revenge  the  war- 
whoop  echoed  through  every  forest 
glen,  and  not  a  farm  or  "  bowerie " 
was  safe.  The  colonists,  indignant  at 
his  cruel  folly,  sent  the  governor  home, 
but  he  was  wrecked  on  the  coast  of 
Wales  and  miserably  perished. 

Under  Governor  Stuyvesant  came 
better  times.  He  arranged  the  Con 
necticut  boundary  line ;  conquered 
New  Sweden,  as  the  colony  on  the 
Delaware  was  called ;  made  peace 
with  the  Indians,  and  built  a  palisade 
across  the  island  where  now  is  Wall 
street.  Dutch  industry  and  thrift 
meant  prosperity  here  as  well  as  in 
Holland.  From  the  first,  New  York 
was  a  cosmopolitan  city.  Even  at 
that  early  day  eighteen  languages 
were  said  to  be  spoken.  The  French 
Huguenots,  the  Italian  Waldenses, 
the  Swiss  Calvinists,  the  world-hated 
Jew,  all  found  a  home  and  a  refuge  in 
this  growing  colony.  The  island  was 
mostly  divided  into  farms.  The  Park  was  crowned  with  forest 
trees  and  used  for  a  common  pasture,  where  tanners  obtained 
bark  and  boys  gathered  chestnuts  for  half  a  century  later. 

With  all  Governor  Stuyvesant's  honesty  and  ability,  "  Head 
strong  Peter,"  as  they  called  him,  was  inclined  to  be  obstinate. 
He  especially  hated  democratic  institutions.  The  English  in  the 


GOVERNOR    STUYVESAXT. 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1664. 


colony  looked  with  longing  eyes  on  the  rights  enjoyed  by  their 
Connecticut  brethren,  so  that  when,  in  1664,  an  English  fleet  came 
to  anchor  in  the  harbor  and  demanded  a  surrender  in  the  name  of 


m 


THE    ENGLISH    LANDING   AT   NEW   YORK,    1664. 

the  Duke  of  York,  there  was  secret  joy  in  the  town.  The  stout 
hearted  governor  had  been  a  brave  soldier  in  his  time,  and  he 
stumped  about  on  his  wooden  leg  at  a  terrible  rate,  angrily  tore 
up  the  letter  of  his  council  making  terms,  and  swore  he  would 
hold  the  place  at  every  cost.  But  the  burgomasters  made  him 
put  the  pieces  together  and  sign  the  surrender.  The  English 
flag  soon  floated  over  the  island,  and  the  name  of  the  colony  was 
changed  to  New  York  in  honor  of  the  new  proprietor.  England 
was  now  master  of  the  coast  from  Canada  to  Florida. 

The  English  governors  disappointed  the  people  by  not  granting 
their  coveted  rights.  A  remonstrance  against  being  taxed  with 
out  representation  was  burned  by  the  hangman.  So  that  when, 
after  nine  years  of  English  authority,  a  Dutch  fleet  appeared  in 
the  harbor,  the  people  went  back  quietly  under  their  old  rulers. 
But  the  next  year,  peace  being  restored  between  England  and 
Holland,  New  Amsterdam  became  New  York  again.  Thus  ended 
the  Dutch  rule  in  the  colonies.  Andros,  who  twelve  years  after 
played  the  tyrant  in  New  England,  was  the  next  governor.  He 
managed  so  arbitrarily  that  he  was  called  home.  Under  his 
successor,  Dongan,  there  was  a  gleam  of  civil  freedom.  By  per- 


1689.] 


SETTLEMENT    OF     NEW    YORK. 


59 


THE  TOMB  OF  PETER  STUYVESANT. 

(From  St.  Mark's  Church,  New  York.) 


mission  of  the  Duke  of  York,  he  called  an  assembly  of  the  repre 
sentatives  of  the  people.  This  was  but  transient,  for  two  years, 
after,  when  the  Duke  of  York  became  James  II.,  king  of  England, 
he  forgot  all  his 
promises,  for 
bade  legislative 
assemblies,  pro 
hibited  print- 

1  n| " Lr n pl  PH     *P5F^>  PETRUS  STUYVESANT 

and     annexed       v^Ske  CaptainGenera$CovernormChiefof  Amstercfam  j 
the     colony     to  InNewNefherlandruw  called. New.-"Vorkr 

New     England.        ^     •*     Anithe^^^^TMcfialsIands-Die^ABl^- 

When,  how 
ever,  Andros 
was  driven  from 
Boston,  Nichol 
son,  his  lieuten 
ant  and  apt  tool 
of  tyranny  in 
New  York,  fled 

at  once.  Captain  Leisler,  supported  by  the  democracy,  but  bit 
terly  opposed  by  the  aristocracy,  thereupon  administered  affairs 
very  prudently  until  the  arrival  of  Governor  Slaughter,  who  ar 
rested  him  on  the  absurd  charge  of  treason.  Slaughter  was  unwil 
ling  to  execute  him,  but  Leisler's  enemies,  at  a  dinner  party,  made 
the  governor  drunk,  obtained  his  signature,  and  before  he  became 
sober  enough  to  repent,  Leisler  was  no  more.  The  people  were 
greatly  excited  over  his  death,  and  cherished  pieces  of  his  clothing 
as  precious  relics.  For  long  after,  party  strife  ran  high  and  bitter 
over  his  martyrdom. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  Captain  Kidd  was 
noted  as  a  bold  and  skillful  shipmaster.  He  distinguished  himself 
as  a  privateersman  against  the  French  in  the  West  Indies,  and 
received  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  for  protecting  New  York 
city  from  pirates,  who  at  that  time  infested  the  ocean  highways. 
Being  sent  out  against  these  sea-robbers,  he  finally  became  a  pirate 
himself.  Returning  from  his  guilty  cruise,  he  boldly  appeared  in 
the  streets  of  Boston,  where  he  was  captured  in  the  midst  of  a  prom 
enade.  He  was  carried  to  England,  tried,  and  hung.  His  name 
and  deeds  have  been  woven  into  popular  romance,  and  the  song 
"  My  name  is  Captain  Kidd,  as  I  sailed,  as  I  sailed,"  is  well  known. 


60 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1664. 


He  is  believed  to  have  buried  his  ill-gotten  riches  on  the  coast  of 
Long  Island  or  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  and  these  localities  have 
suffered  many  a  search  from  credulous  persons  seeking  for  Kidd's 
treasure. 

When  New  Netherland  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Duke  of 
York,  he  sold  the  portion  between  the  Hudson  and  the  Delaware 
to  Lord  Berkeley  and  Sir  George  Carteret.  This  tract  took  the 
name  of  Jersey  in  honor  of  Carteret,  who  had  been  governor  of 
the  island  of  Jersey  in  the  British  Channel.  The  first  settlement, 

which  was  a  cluster  of  only  four 
houses,  was  called  Elizabethtown, 
after  his  wife.  His  portion  was  called 
East,  and  Lord  Berkeley's  West  New 
Jersey.  The  colonists  were  led  by  a 
brother  of  the  proprietor,  who  came 
with  a  hoe  on  his  shoulder  to  remind 
the  people  of  the  way  to  fortune  and 

_  ,  0  . 

prosperity.  The  Quakers,  Scotch 
Presbyterians,  and  others  persecuted  for  conscience  sake,  grad 
ually  occupied  the  country.  Constant  trouble  prevailed  among 
the  settlers  regarding  the  land  titles,  and  in  1702  the  proprietors 
gave  up  their  rights,  and  "  the  Jerseys,"  as  the  colony  was  long 
known,  became  a  royal  province. 


SEALS  OF  NEW  AMSTERDAM  AND 

NEW   YORK. 


SETTLEMENT  op  PENNSYLVANIA- 

William  Penn,  the  founder  of  Pennsylvania,  was  a  celebrated 
English  Quaker.  Wishing  to  establish  a  home  for  the  oppressed 
Friends  in  England,  he  secured  from  Charles  II.  the  grant  of  a  large 
tract  west  of  the  Delaware,  in  lieu  of  sixteen  thousand  pounds  due 
his  father  by  the  crown,  on  condition  of  paying  annually  two  beaver 
skins.  This  territory  Penn  Avished  to  have  called  Sylvania  (sylva, 
forest),  as  it  was  covered  with  woods ;  but  the  king  ordered  it  to 
be  styled  Pennsylvania,  and  although  Penn  offered  the  secretary 
twenty  guineas  to  erase  the  prefix,  his  request  was  denied.  Penn 
immediately  sent  a  body  of  emigrants  to  begin  the  "  holy  experi 
ment,"  and  came  himself  the  next  year  in  the  ship  "  Welcome." 
Right  royally  was  he  welcomed  by  the  settlers  already  within  the 


1682.] 


SETTLEMENT    OF    PENNSYLVANIA. 


6l 


boundaries  of  his  land,  for  his  first  proclamation  had  preceded 
him  with  the  spirit  of  a  benediction.  "  I  hope  you  will  not  be 
troubled  at  your  chainge  and  the  king's  choice,"  he  wrote,  "  for 
you  are  now  fixt,  at  the  mercy  of  no  governour  that  comes  to  make 
his  fortune  great.  You  shall  be  governed  by  laws  of  your  own 
makeing,  and  live  a  free,  and  if  you  will,  a  sober  and  industrious 
people.  God  has  furnisht  me  with  a  better  resolution,  and  has 
given  me  His  grace  to  keep  it."  On  the  beautiful  banks  of  the 
Delaware,  in  1683,  he  laid  the  foundations  of  Philadelphia,  the 
"City  of  Brotherly  Love,"  which 
he  intended  should  be  a  "  faire  and 
greene  country  toune,"  with  gar 
dens  around  every  house.  It  was 
in  the  midst  of  the  forest,  and  the 
startled  deer  bounded  past  the  set 
tler  who  came  to  survey  his  new 
home.  Yet  within  a  year  it  had 
one  hundred  houses ;  in  two  years 
numbered  over  two  thousand  in 
habitants  ;  and  in  three  years  had 
gained  more  than  New  York  in 
half  a  century. 

The  government  was  most 
happily  inaugurated,  while  the 
Philadelphia  mansions  were  as  yet 
mainly  hollow  trees.  A  legisla 
ture  appointed  by  the  people  was 
to  make  all  the  laws.  Every  sect 
was  to  be  tolerated.  Any  freeman 
could  vote  and  hold  office  who  believed  in  God  and  kept  the 
Lord's  day.  No  tax  could  be  levied  but  by  law.  Every  child  was 
to  be  taught  a  useful  trade.  It  seemed  to  be  Penn's  only  desire  to 
make  the  little  colony  as  happy  and  free  as  could  be.  Under  a 
large  spreading  elm  at  Shackamaxon,  Penn  attended  a  council  of 
the  Indian  chiefs.  "  We  meet,"  said  he,  "  on  the  broad  pathway  of 
good  faith  and  good  will ;  no  advantage  shall  be  taken  on  either 
side,  but  all  shall  be  openness  and  love.  The  friendship  between 
you  and  me  I  will  not  compare  to  a  chain ;  for  that  the  rains 
might  rust,  and  the  falling  tree  might  break.  We  are  the  same  as 
if  one  man's  body  were  to  be  divided  into  two  parts ;  we  are  all 
one  flesh  and  blood."  The  savages  were  touched  by  his  gentle 


STATUE   OF    PENN   IN    PHILADELPHIA. 


62  EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS.  [1683. 

words  and  kindly  bearing.  "  We  will  live  in  love  with  William 
Penn  and  his  children,"  said  they,  "  as  long  as  the  sun  and  moon 
shall  shine."  They  kept  the  history  of  the  treaty  by  means  of 
strings  of  wampum,  and  would  often  count  over  the  shells  on  a 
clean  piece  of  bark  and  rehearse  its  provisions.  "  It  was  the  only 
treaty  never  sworn  to,  and  the  only  one  never  broken."  On 
every  hand  the  Indians  waged  relentless  war  with  the  colonies, 
but  they  never  shed  a  drop  of  Quaker  blood.  Penn  often  visited 
their  wigwams,  shared  in  their  sports,  and  talked  to  them  of  God 
and  Heaven.  He  found  even  in  the  breast  of  the  red  man  of  the 
forest  a  response  to  his  faithful  teachings  and  pure  example. 
They  gave  him  the  name  Onas,  and  the  highest  compliment  they 
could  confer  on  any  person  was  to  say  he  was  like  Onas. 

Penn  soon  returned  to  England.  Fifteen  years  afterward  he 
came  back  with  his  family,  intending  to  make  the  New  World 
his  home.  But  he  could  not  shut  out  disturbance  and  conflict. 
The  boundary  between  Maryland  and  Pennsylvania  was  uncer 
tain.  It  was  not  settled  until  1767,  when  two  surveyors,  Mason 
and  Dixon,  ran  the  line  since  famous  as  Mason  and  Dixon's  line. 
The  "  Three  Counties  on  the  Delaware  "  became  discontented. 
Penn  gave  them  a  deputy-governor  and  an  assembly  of  their  own. 
Delaware  and  Pennsylvania,  however,  remained  under  one  gov 
ernment  till  the  Revolution.  The  colonists  of  Pennsylvania  were 
unwilling  to  pay  the  rents  by  which  Penn  sought  to  reimburse 
himself  for  his  heavy  outlay,  and,  not  content  with  the  privileges 
already  secured,  constantly  sought  to  weaken  the  authority  of 
their  benefactor.  Penn  sorrowfully  returned  to  his  native  land, 
and  finally  died  in  want  and  obscurity. 


gETTI.EMEJNT    Of    THE 

Carolina,  as  we  have  seen,  was  first  named  in  honor  of  a 
French  monarch  ;  but  it  remained  for  the  English  to  settle  the 
country.  A  company  of  religious  refugees  from  Virginia  had 
already  pushed  through  the  wilderness  and  "  squatted "  near 
the  mouth  of  Chowan  River.  Here  they  established  the  Albe- 
marle  colony.  In  1663,  Charles  II.,  who  in  his  lavish  igno 
rance  had  given  away  half  the  continent,  granted  the  vast 


1663.]  SETTLEMENT    OF    THE    CAROLINAS.  63 

territory  south  of  Virginia  to  eight  proprietors,  chiefly  his  cour 
tiers  and  ministers.  The  plan — the  "  grand  model,"  as  it  was 
called — of  the  colony  which  they  proposed  to  establish  was 
drawn  up  by  Lord  Shaftesbury  and  the  famous  philosopher,  John 
Locke.  It  was  the  wonder  of  the  day.  All  the  vast  territory — 
embracing  the  present  States  of  North  and  South  Carolina, 
Georgia,  Tennessee,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Arkansas, 
Florida,  Missouri,  and  a  large  part  of  Texas  and  Mexico — was  to 
be  divided  into  counties,  each  containing  four  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  acres.  Over  each  county  were  to  be  a  landgrave  and 
two  caciques  or  barons.  They  were  to  hold  one-fifth  of  the  land, 
and  the  proprietors  one-fifth,  leaving  the  balance  to  the  people. 
No  one  owning  less  than  fifty  acres  could  vote ;  while  tenants 
were  to  be  merely  serfs,  and  slaves  were  to  be  at  the  absolute 
will  of  their  masters. 

The  emigrants  sent  out  by  the  English  proprietors  first  sailed 
into  the  well-known  waters  where  Ribaut  had  anchored  over  a 
century  before,  but  afterward  removed  to  the  ancient  groves  cov 
ered  with  yellow  jasmine,  which  marked  the  site  of  the  present  city 
of  Charleston,  then  only  Oyster  Point.  The  growth  of  the- new 
colony  was  rapid.  Thither  came  ship-loads  of  Dutch  from  New 
York,  dissatisfied  with  the  English  rule  and  attracted  by  the 
genial  climate.  The  French  Huguenots,  after  the  revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes,  flocked  to  the  land  where  religious  perse 
cution  was  to  be  forever  unknown.  Their  church  was  in  Charles 
ton  ;  and  "  thither  on  every  Lord's  day,  gathering  from  their 
plantations  on  the  banks  of  the  Cooper,  they  might  be  seen,  the 
parents  with  their  children,  making  their  way  in  light  skiffs, 
through  scenes  so  tranquil  that  silence  was  broken  only  by  the 
rippling  of  oars  and  the  hum  of  the  flourishing  village  at  the 
confluence  of  the  rivers."  The  Huguenot  settlers  were  a  valua 
ble  acquisition  to  Charleston.  At  one  time  they  numbered  sixteen 
thousand,  and  added  whole  streets  to  the  city.  Many  of  them  were 
from  families  of  marked  refinement  in  France,  and  their  elegant 
manners,  no  less  than  their  industry,  charity,  and  morality,  made 
an  impress  on  the  growing  town.  They  brought  the  mulberry 
and  olive  from  their  own  sunny  land,  and  established  magnificent 
plantations  on  the  banks  of  the  Cooper  River.  They  also  intro 
duced  many  choice  varieties  of  pears,  which  still  bear  illustrious 
Huguenot  names.  Their  eminently  honorable  descendants  have 
borne  a  proud  part  in  the  establishment  of  the  American  Repub- 


64 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1665. 


lie.  Of  seven  presidents  who  were  at  the  head  of  the  Philadel 
phia  Congress  during  the  Revolution,  three  were  of  Huguenot 
parentage. 


HUGUENOTS   GOING  TO    CHUKCH. 


A  body  of  planters  from 
the  Barbadoes  had,  ere  this, 
brought  African  slaves  with 
them.  Their  labor  proving 
very  profitable,  in  a  few  years 

they  were  introduced  to  such  an  extent  that  they  nearly  doubled 
the  whites  in  number.  A  little  incident  which  happened  in  1694 
had  much  to  do  with  the  early  prosperity  of  the  colony.  The 
captain  of  a  ship  from  Madagascar  gave  to  Governor  Smith 
a  bag  of  seed  rice,  saying  that  it  was  much  esteemed  for  food 
in  Eastern  countries.  The  governor  shared  it  with  his  friends, 
and  they  all  planted  it  in  different  soils  to  test  its  fitness  for  the 
American  climate.  It  lived  and  thrived ;  and  thus  was  introduced 
what  shortly  became  an  important  staple. 

The  Great  Model  was  an  aristocratic  scheme.  The  democrats 
of  the  New  World,  fleeing  persecution  and  tyranny  at  home, 
living  in  log-cabins,  and  dressing  in  homespun  and  deer-skins, 
would  none  of  it,  and  it  was  soon  abandoned.  The  colonists  were 
therefore  allowed  to  have  an  assembly  chosen  by  themselves,  the 
governor  only  being  appointed  by  the  proprietors — the  northern. 


1729.] 


SETTLEMENT    OF    GEORGIA. 


and  southern  colonies,  on  account  of  their  remoteness  from  each 
other,  having  each  its  own.  There  were  still  great  difficulties 
with  the  proprietors  about  rents,  taxes,  and  rights,  untill  in  1729, 
the  Carolinas  became  a  royal  province. 


JSETT;LEJVIEJNT  OF  QEORQIA. 

Georgia  was  the  last  to  be  planted  of  the  famous  thirteen 
colonies.  America,  which  was  now  a  home  for  the  oppressed  of 
all  religious  faiths — Huguenots,  Puritans,  Presbyterians,  Quakers, 
and  Catholics — was  also  to  become  an  asylum  for  afflicted  debt 
ors.  James  Oglethorpe  obtained  from  George  II.  a  tract  of  land 
which  was  named  Georgia  in  honor  of  the  king.  Oglethorpe 
himself  accompanied  the  first  body  of  emigrants  to  their  new 
home.  His  kindly  mien,  like  that  of  another  Penn,  won  the  love 
of  the  Indians.  One  of  the  chiefs 
gave  him  a  buffalo's  skin  with  the 
head  and  feathers  of  an  eagle  painted 
on  the  inside  of  it.  "  The  eagle," 
said  the  warrior,  "  signifies  swift 
ness  ;  and  the  buffalo,  strength.  The 
English  are  swift  as  a  bird  to  fly  over 
the  vast  seas,  and  as  strong  as  a  beast 
before  their  enemies.  The  eagle's 
feathers  are  soft  and  signify  love ; 
the  buffalo's  skin  is  warm  and  means 
protection ;  therefore  love  and  pro 
tect  our  families."  Another  chief 
addressed  him  thus :  "  We  are  come 
twenty-five  days  journey  to  see  you. 
When  I  heard  you  were  come,  and 
that  you  are  good  men,  I  came  down 
that  I  might  hear  good  things." 

In  1733  Oglethorpe  laid  out  the  city  of  Savannah  in  broad 
avenues  and  open  squares,  and  here  he  lived  for  a  year,  in  a  tent 
pitched  beneath  four  beautiful  forest  pines.  Soon  after,  a  com 
pany  of  German  Lutherans  set  out  on  foot  from  their  homes  in 
Salzburg,  and  walked  to  Frankfort,  chanting  hymns  of  deliver- 
5 


GENERAL    OGLETHORPE.    AGED    IO2. 

(From  an  Old  Print.) 


66 


EXPLORATIONS    AND    SETTLEMENTS. 


[1734. 


ance  as  they  went.  Taking  ship,  in  due  time  they  also  reached 
the  land  of  the  refugee.  Sturdy  Scotch  Highlanders  settled  at 
Darien.  Hither,  also,  came  John  and  Charles  Wesley,  full  of  zeal 
for  the  conversion  of  the  Indians  and  the  religious  good  of  the 
young  colony.  A  little  later,  George  Whitefield  stirred  the 
people  by  his  wonderful  eloquence.  At  one  time,  sixty  thousand 
were  gathered  to  hear  him,  and  his  open-air  meetings  were  often 
attended  by  from  twenty  thousand  to  forty  thousand  people. 

Georgia,  as  well  as  Carolina,  bordered  on  Florida,  and  there 
were  several  contests  between  the  young  colonies  and  their 
Spanish  neighbors.  The  South  Carolinians  and  the  Georgians 
each  fruitlessly  invested  St.  Augustine  (1702  and  1740),  and  the 
Spaniards,  in  turn,  attacked  Charleston  and  Savannah  (1706  and 
1742).  Little,  however,  resulted  from  these  spurts  of  national 
hatred,  except  to  make  more  apparent  the  necessity  of  bringing 
Florida  under  the  English  crown. 

The  laws  of  the  Georgian  colony  were  very  irksome.  The 
trustees  limited  the  size  of  a  man's  farm,  allowed  no  woman  to 
inherit  land,  and  forbade  the  importation  of  slaves  or  of  rum. 
The  last  law  cut  off  a  large  source  of  profit,  as  a  valuable  trade 
of  lumber  for  rum  had  sprung  up  with  the  West  Indies.  Wearied 
by  complaints,  the  trustees  surrendered  the  colony  to  the  crown, 
and  Georgia  became  a  royal  province,  like  the  other  colonies. 


PENN'S   TREATY    TREE. 


CHAPTER    III 


COLONIAL 


HILE  the  English  had  thus  estab 
lished  themselves  on  the  Atlan 
tic  coast,  the  settlement  of  New 
France  *had  gone  on  apace.  The 
same  year  that  Henry  Hudson 
sailed  north  up  the  river  which 
now  bears  his  name,  Champlain,  a 
French  explorer  who  had  already 
founded  Quebec,  penetrating  the 
wilds  of  New  York  southward, 
discovered  the  beautiful  lake  which 
was  henceforth  to  be  called  in  his 
honor.  While  most  of  the  English 

colonists  steadily  pushed  back  the  Indians  from  their  advancing 
settlements,  making  but  slight  efforts  for  their  conversion  or 
civilization,  the  French  intermarried  with  them,  mingled  in  their 
sports,  shared  their  scanty  fare,  and,  in  their  government  of  them, 
always  joined  kindness  to  firmness.  They  sought,  not  to  drive 
away  the  natives,  but  to  make  the  most  of  them.  Their  scheme 
of  colonization,  in  fact,  seemed  to  embrace  but  two  objects — the 
mission  work  and  the  fur  trade.  Jesuit  missionaries,  burning 
with  zeal  and  ardor,  flocked  to  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  pushed  their  way  into  the  virgin  forest,  dismayed  by  no 
storm,  or  hostility,  or  pestilence.  Under  the  dripping  trees, 
through  the  sodden  snow,  amid  cruel  and  treacherous  tribes,  they 
moved  with  unflagging  courage,  asking  only  to  baptize  the  poor 
red  man,  and  ensure  to  his  soul  the  joys  of  the  upper  paradise. 
Many  of  these  indefatigable  pioneers  were  murdered  by  the 
savages ;  some  were  scalped,  some  burned  in  rosin-fire,  some 
scalded  with  hot  water;  yet,  ever,  as  one  fell  out  of  the  ranks, 


68  COLONIAL    WARS.  [1668. 

another  sprang  forward,  cross  in  hand,  to  fill  his  place.  They  crept 
along  the  northern  lakes,  and,  in  1668,  founded  the  mission  of  San 

Ste.  Marie,  the  oldest  European 
settlement  in  Michigan.  Father 
Marquette  floated  in  a  birch-bark 
canoe  down  the  Wisconsin  to  the 
Mississippi  River.  Going  ashore 
one  day  at  his  hour  of  devotion, 
he  did  not  return.  His  followers 
sought  him,  and  found  that  he  had 
died  while  at  prayer,  with  his  eyes 
fixed  on  the  cross  he  had  carried  so 
long  and  so  faithfully. 

La  Salle,  a  famous  French  ad- 

SAMUEL   CHAMPLAIN.  ,  1        1          ,1  r~* 

venturer,    descended     the    Great 

River  to  the  Gulf,  naming  the  country  on  its  banks  Louisiana,  in 
honor  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France.  Before  the  close  of  the  seven 
teenth  century,  the  French  had  explored  the  Great  Lakes,  the 
Fox,  Maumee,  Wabash,  Wisconsin,  and  Illinois  Rivers,  and  the 
Mississippi  from  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony  to  the  Gulf.  They  had 
traversed  a  region  including  what  is  now  known  as  Louisiana, 
Arkansas,  Mississippi,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Nebraska,  Kansas,  the 
Canadas,  and  Nova  Scotia.  In  1688,  New  France  had  a  population 
of  eleven  thousand.  The  opening  of  the  eighteenth  century  found 
them  still  at  their  labor  of  colonization.  In  1700,  De  Tonty  built 
Fort  Rosalie  near  the  present  site  of  Natchez.  Fort  Detroit 
was  erected  in  1701.  Mobile  was  settled  in  1702  and  became  the 
capital  of  all  Louisiana.  New  Orleans  was  founded  in  1718,  and 
Vincennes  in  1735.  The  French  names  still  lingering  throughout 
the  Mississippi  valley  preserve  the  memories  of  its  early  settlers. 


Frequent  contests  broke  out  in  Europe  between  England  and 
France.  The  colonists  naturally  took  part  with  their  parent 
countries,  and  thus  the  flames  of  war  were  kindled  in  the  New 
World.  From  1689  to  1763 — three-fourths  of  a  century — the 
struggle  went  on.  The  series  of  quarrels  are  known  with  us  as 
"  KING  WILLIAM'S  WAR"  (1689-1697),  "  QUEEN  ANNE'S  WAR" 
(1702-1713),  "  KING  GEORGE'S  WAR"  (1744-1748),  and  the  "  OLD 
FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR"  (1754-1763).  There  were  frequent 


1689.] 


KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR 


is 


MARQUETTE   DESCENDING   THE    MISSISSIPPI. 


pauses  in  the  strife,  but  it  was  really  and  always  a  continuation 
of  the  same  struggle  ;  and  the  issue  was  to  decide  whether  the 
French  or  the  English  were  to  rule  the  continent.  The  Indians 
generally  sided  with  the  French.  They  were  armed  with  guns 
and  often  led  by  French  officers.  The  horrors  of  King  Philip's 
and  the  Pequod  wars  were  now  renewed  with  tenfold  intensity. 
The  border  settlers  were  in  constant  fear  of  the  tomahawk. 
"  Children,  as  they  gambolled  on  the  beach  ;  reapers,  as  they 
gathered  the  harvest;  mowers,  as  they  rested  from  using  the 
scythe  ;  mothers,  as  they  busied  themselves  about  the  household, 
were  victims  to  an  enemy  who  disappeared  the  moment  a  blow 
was  struck,  and  who  was  ever  present  when  a  garrison  or  a 
family  ceased  its  vigilance."  Every  village  had  its  block  or  gar 
rison  house,  solidly  constructed,  and  surrounded  with  a  palisade 
of  logs ;  the  upper  story  sometimes  projected  beyond  the  lower, 
and  in  it  were  cut  loop-holes  for  firing  upon  the  invader. 
Thither  the  inhabitants  fled  for  shelter  at  any  alarm. 

One  June  evening  in  1689,  ten  squaws  applied  for  lodging — 
two  at  each  of  the  five  garrisoned  houses — in  Dover,  N.  H.  So 
secure  were  the  inhabitants  in  the  good  faith  of  the  Indians,  that 
every  family  but  one  not  only  granted  the  request,  but  also 
showed  them  how  to  unfasten  the  bolts  and  bars  of  the  doors  and 
gates,  in  case  they  should  desire  to  go  out  during  the  night. 


COLONIAL    WARS. 


[1690. 


Mesandowit,  one  of  the  chiefs,  was  entertained  at  Major  Wal- 
dron's  garrison,  as  he  had  often  been  before,  where  they  chatted 
pleasantly  together,  and  the  family  retired  to  rest  in  unsuspecting 
confidence.  When  all  was  quiet,  the  squaws  opened  the  gates 
and  gave  a  concerted  signal  to  the  concealed  Indians  without. 
Major  Waldron,  an  old  man  of  eighty  years,  awakened  by  the 
noise,  jumped  from  his  bed  and  fought  valiantly  with  his  sword, 
but  was  stunned  by  a  blow  from  a  tomahawk,  and  forced  into  an 
arm-chair,  which  was  mounted  on  the  long  table  where  he  had 
supped  with  his  betrayer.  "  Who  shall  judge  Indians  now?  "  the 
savages  derisively  asked,  as  they  danced  about  their  veteran  cap 
tive.  Having  forced  the  inmates  of  the  house  to  prepare  food 
for  them,  they  regaled  themselves,  and  then,  wiping  their  knives, 
each  "  crossed  out  his  account,"  as  they  mockingly  said,  upon  the 
Major's  body.  Horribly  mutilated  and  faint  with  the  loss  of 
blood,  he  was  falling  from  the  table,  when  one  of  them  held  his 
own  sword  under  him  and  thus  put  an  end  to  his  misery.  The 
family  were  all  killed  or  taken  prisoners,  and  the  house  was 
fired.  The  same  fate  befell  the  next  dwelling  and  its  inmates. 
The  third  house  was  saved  by  the  barking  of  a  dog,  which 
aroused  the  dwellers  in  time  to  protect  themselves.  At  Mr. 
Coffin's,  the  savages  found  a  bag  of  money,  and  amused  them 
selves  by  making  the  master  of  the  house  throw  it  on  the  floor  in 
handfuls,  while  they  scrambled  after  it.  They  then  took  him  to 
the  house  of  his  son,  who  had  refused  to  admit  the  squaws  the 
night  before,  and,  summoning  the  younger  Coffin  to  surrender, 

threatened  to  kill  his  father  be 
fore  his  eyes  if  he  refused.  Both 
of  these  families  were  confined  in 
a  deserted  house  for  safe  keep 
ing  until  the  savages  were  ready 
to  take  them  on  their  march,  but, 
while  their  captors  were  busy  in 
plundering,  they  happily  man 
aged  to  escape. 

A  war -party  of  French  and 
Indians  coming  down  from  Can 
ada  on  their  snow-shoes  in  the  depth  of  winter  (1690),  attacked 
Schenectady.  They  stealthily  dispersed  through  the  town,  and 
the  inhabitants  were  only  aroused  from  sleep  as  the  brutal  foe 
burst  into  their  houses.  Men,  women,  and  children  were 


A    FORTIFIED    HOUSE. 


1697.]  KING    WILLIAM'S    WAR.  71 

dragged  from  their  beds  and  massacred.     The  few  who  escaped 
fled  half-naked  through  the  blinding  snow  to  Albany. 


THE   INDIAN   ATTACK    ON    SCHENECTADY. 


In  March,  1697,  the  Indians  made  a  descent  upon  Haverhill, 
Massachusetts,  where  they  murdered  and  captured  about  forty 
persons,  and  burned  several  houses.  One  Mr.  Dustin  was  work 
ing  in  his  field.  He  hastened  to  his  home,  and  bidding  his  seven 
children  run  with  all  speed  to  a  neighboring  garrison,  seized  his 
gun,  mounted  his  horse,  and  set  out  after  them.  He  had  intended 
to  take  one  before  him  on  his  horse,  and  protect  the  rest  as  best  he 
might ;  but  when  he  overtook  them,  each  one  seemed  so  precious 
he  could  make  no  choice,  and  he  determined  that  they  should  live 
or  die  together.  Happily,  he  succeeded  in  keeping  the  Indians  at 
bay  until  a  place  of  safety  was  reached.  He  had  left  his  wife  ill 
in  bed  with  an  infant  child,  knowing  that  any  effort  to  save  her 
would  only  ensure  death  to  them  all.  She,  with  the  nurse  and 
child,  were  dragged  away  in  the  train  of  captives.  The  babe  of  a 
week  was  soon  disposed  of  in  Indian  fashion,  and,  as  the  strength 
of  other  prisoners  failed,  they  were  scalped  and  left  by  the  road 
side.  Mrs.  Dustin  and  nurse  kept  on  the  march  for  a  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  when,  learning  that  the  captives  were  to  be  tor 
tured  to  death  after  their  destination  was  reached,  she  resolved 


COLONIAL    WARS. 


[1704. 


upon  a  desperate  effort  to  escape.  In  the  dead  of  night  she  arose 
with  her  nurse  and  an  English  boy  who,  having  long  been  a 
prisoner,  had  learned  how  to  produce  death  with  one  blow  of 
the  tomahawk.  Taking  a  weapon,  she  killed  ten  of  the  sleep 
ing  Indians,  only  one  wounded  squaw  escaping.  Bringing 
away  the  scalps  on  her  arm  to  prove  her  wonderful  story,  she 
hastened  with  her  companions  to  the  river  bank,  unloosed  a  canoe, 
and  was  ere  long  restored  to  her  astonished  family. 

On  the  last  night  of  February,  1704,  while  the  snow  was  four 
feet  deep,  a  party  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  French  and 
Indians  reached  a  pine  forest  near  Deerfield,  Massachusetts. 
Skulking  about  till  the  unfaithful  sentinels  deserted  the  morning 
watch,  they  rushed  upon  the  defenceless  slumberers,  who  awoke 
from  their  dreams  to  death  or  captivity.  Leaving  behind  the 
blazing  village  with  forty-seven  dead  bodies  to  be  consumed  amid 


MRS.   DUSTIN  DISPOSING   OF   HER    CAPTORS. 


the  wreck,  they  started  back  with  their  train  of  one  hundred  and 
twelve  captives.  The  horrors  of  that  winter  march  through  the 
wilderness  can  never  be  told.  The  groan  of  helpless  exhaustion, 
or  the  wail  of  suffering  childhood,  was  instantly  stilled  by  the  piti 
less  tomahawk.  Mrs.  Williams,  the  feeble  wife  of  the  minister, 
had  remembered  her  Bible  in  the  midst  of  surprise,  and  comforted 
herself  with  its  promises,  till,  her  strength  failing,  she  commended 
her  five  captive  children  to  God  and  bent  to  the  savage  blow  of 
the  war-axe.  One  of  her  daughters  grew  up  in  captivity,  em- 


OLD    FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


73 


74  COLONIAL    WARS.  [1750. 

braced  the  Catholic  faith,  and  became  the  wife  of  a  chief.  Years 
after,  dressed  in  Indian  costume  and  accompanied  by  her  warrior 
husband,  she  visited  her  friends  in  Deerfield.  The  whole  village 
joined  in  a  fast  for  her  deliverance,  and  every  persuasion  was 
used  to  induce  her  to  abandon  her  forest  life ;  but  her  heart  clung 
fondly  to  her  dusky  friends  and  her  own  Indian  children,  and  she 
went  back  to  the  fires  of  her  wigwam,  and  died  a  faithful  Mo 
hawk. 

Such  scenes  of  horror  inspired  the  colonists  with  intense 
hatred  toward  the  Indians  and  their  French  allies.  A  bounty  as 
high  as  fifty  pounds  was  offered  for  every  Indian  scalp,  and  expedi 
tions  were  sent  against  the  French  strongholds.  Two  disastrous 
attempts  were  made  to  invade  Canada ;  Port  Royal  was  captured 
and  became  a  British  station  under  the  name  of  Annapolis  ;  and, 
finally,  Louisburg  was  taken.  This  had  been  called  the  "  Gib 
raltar  of  America,"  and  its  fortifications  cost  five  million  dollars. 
It  quickly  fell,  however,  before  the  rude  attacks  of  General  Pep- 
perell's  army  of  four  thousand  undisciplined  farmers  and  fishermen. 
The  last  words  of  Whitefield,  then  in  Boston,  to  the  little  army  as 
it  set  sail,  had  been,  "  Nothing  is  to  be  despaired  of  when  Christ  is 
the  leader."  When  the  army  came  inside  the  city  and  beheld  the 
almost  impregnable  fortifications  captured  so  easily,  they  were 
dismayed  at  the  very  magnitude  of  their  triumph.  It  seemed  to 
those  sturdy  Puritans  as  if  God  indeed  were  on  their  side,  and  by 
Him  alone  had  they  won  the  day. 

By  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  French  had  sixty 
fortified  posts  guarding  the  line  of  their  possessions  from  Quebec 
to  New  Orleans.  They  were  determined  to  hold  all  west  of 
the  Alleghanies,  and  to  make  of  New  France  a  mighty  empire 
watered  by  the  St.  Lawrence,  the  Great  Lakes,  and  the  Mississippi. 
Every  fountain  which  bubbled  on  the  west  side  of  the  Alle 
ghanies  was  claimed  as  being  within  the  French  Empire.  But 
"while  De  Bienville  was  burying  plates  of  lead  engraved  with 
the  arms  of  France,  the  ploughs  and  axes  of  Virginia  woodsmen 
were  enforcing  a  surer  title."  The  final  conflict  was  at  hand. 
The  English  settlers,  pushing  westward  from  the  Atlantic,  and 
the  French  fur-traders  and  soldiers  coming  down  from  the  north, 
began  to  meet  along  the  Ohio  river.  The  French  would  admit 
no  intruders.  Surveyors  were  driven  back.  A  post  on  the 
Monongahela  was  destroyed.  As  there  was  just  now  a  lull  in  na 
tional  hostilities  on  account  of  the  Peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  (1748), 


1753.] 


OLD    FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


George  Washington,  a  promising  young  man  of  twenty-one,  was 
sent  by  Dinwiddie,  Lieutenant-Governor  of  Virginia,  to  demand 
an  explanation  from  the  French.  Washington  set  out  on  his  peril- 


AN    INCIDENT    OF    WASHINGTON  S    RETURN. 


ous  journey  the  same  day  on  which  he  received  his  credentials. 
He  found  St.  Pierre,  the  French  commandant  at  Fort  le  Bceuf 
very  polite  but  very  firm.  It  was  clear  that  France  was  deter 
mined  to  hold  the  territory  explored  by  the  heroic  La  Salle  and 
Marquette.  The  shore  in  front  of  the  fort  was  even  then  lined 
with  canoes  ready  for  an  intended  expedition  down  the  river. 
Washington's  return  through  the  wilderness,  a  distance  of  four 
hundred  miles,  was  full  of  peril.  The  streams  were  swollen.  The 
snow  was  falling,  and  freezing  as  it  fell.  The  horses  gave  out,  and 
he  was  forced  to  proceed  on  foot.  With  only  one  companion  he 
quitted  the  usual  path,  and,  with  the  compass  as  his  guide,  struck 
boldly  out  through  the  forest.  An  Indian,  lying  in  wait,  fired  at 
him  only  a  few  paces  off,  but  missing,  was  captured.  Attempting 
to  cross  the  Alleghany  on  a  rude  raft,  they  were  caught  in  the 
trembling  ice.  Washington  thrust  out  his  pole  to  check  the 
speed,  but  was  jerked  into  the  foaming  water.  Swimming  to  an 
island,  he  barely  saved  his  life.  Fortunately,  in  the  morning  the 
river  was  frozen  over,  and  he  escaped  on  the  ice.  He  at  last 
reached  home  unharmed,  and  reported  St.  Pierre's  avowed  de- 


76 


COLONIAL    WARS. 


[1754. 


termination  to  abide  by  the  orders  under  which  he  declared  him 
self. 

The  next  spring,  a  regiment  of  Virginia  troops  under  Colonel 
Frye,  Washington  being  second  in  command,  was  sent  to  occupy 
the  fork  of  the  Alleghany  and  Monongahela  Rivers.  Learning 
that  the  French  had  anticipated  them  and  already  erected  a  fort 
called  Du  Quesne  at  that  point,  Washington  hastened  forward  to 
reconnoitre.  Jumonville,  who  was  hiding  among  the  rocks  with 
a  company  of  French  troops  waiting  an  opportunity  to  attack 
him,  was  himself  surprised  and  defeated.  Colonel  Frye  dying 
soon  after,  Washington  assumed  command.  Collecting  his 
forces  at  the  Great  Meadows,  he  erected  a  stockade,  which  he 
aptly  named  Fort  Necessity.  Here  he  was  attacked  by  a  large 
body  of  French  and  Indians,  and  after  a  severe  conflict  was  com 
pelled  to  capitulate. 

The  contest  for  the  possession  of  the  continent  was  now 
evidently  at  hand.  The  crisis  was  imminent.  A  convention  of 
commissioners  from  all  the  colonies  north  of  the  Potomac  was  in 
session  at  Albany  to  concert  measures  of  defence.  A  union  of  the 
colonies  seemed  absolutely  necessary. 

Benjamin  Franklin  now  came  to  the  front.  He  was  well 
known  as  the  author  of  "  Poor  Richard's  Almanac,"  which  he 

had  published  for  upwards  of  twenty 
years,  and  which  had  attained  great 
popularity  in  Europe  as  well  as 
America.  Risen  from  a  poor  boy, 
his  industry  and  native  talent  had 
already  procured  for  him  consider 
able  fortune,  and  he  had  just  begun 
those  experiments  in  electricity  which 
were  afterwards  to  render  his  name 
immortal.  To  this  philosopher  and 
statesman  the  convention  at  Albany 
deputed  the  task  of  drawing  up  a 
plan  for  the  proposed  confederation. 
There  was  to  be  a  governor-general 
appointed  by  the  king,  and  a  grand 
council  elected  by  the  colonial  assemblies.  After  much  discus 
sion  the  scheme  was  adopted,  but,  curiously  enough,  was  rejected 
by  the  king  because  it  gave  too  much  power  to  the  people ;  and 
by  the  people,  as  giving  too  much  power  to  the  crown. 


BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


1755.] 


OLD    FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


77 


The  following"  year,  an  expedition  of  English  and  colonial 
troops  set  out  under  General  Braddock,  Washington  acting  as 
aide-de-camp,  against  Fort  Du  Quesne.  As  the  army  toiled 
through  the  wilderness,  one  hundred  axemen  laboriously  hewed 
a  path  before  it,  while  the  gloom  of  the  forest  hemmed  it  in  on 
every  side.  The  general  was  a  regular  British  officer,  proud  and 
conceited.  "  The  Indians,"  said  he,  "  may  frighten  continental 
troops,  but  they  can  make  no  impression  on  the  king's  regulars ! " 


Washington  warned  him 
of  the  dangers  of  savage 
warfare,  but  his  sugges 
tions  were  received  with 
contempt.  The  column 
came  within  ten  miles  of 
the  fort,  marching  along 
the  Monongahela  in  reg 
ular  array,  drums  beating  and  colors  flying.  Suddenly,  in  as 
cending  a  little  slope,  with  a  deep  ravine  and  thick  underbrush 
on  either  hand,  they  encountered  the  Indians  lying  in  ambush. 
The  terrible  war-whoop  resounded  on  every  side.  The  British 
regulars  huddled  together,  and,  frightened,  fired  by  platoons,  at 


WASHINGTON   AT    BKADDOCK  S   DEFEAT. 


78  COLONIAL  WARS.  [1T55. 

random,  against  rocks  and  trees.  The  Virginia  troops  alone 
sprang  into  the  forest  and  fought  the  savages  in  Indian  style. 
Washington  seemed  everywhere  present.  An  Indian  chief  with 
his  braves  especially  singled  him  out.  Four  balls  passed  through 
his  clothes,  and  two  horses  were  shot  under  him.  Braddock  was 
mortally  wounded  and  borne  from  the  field.  At  last,  when  the 
continental  troops  were  nearly  all  killed,  the  regulars  turned  and 
fled  disgracefully,  abandoning  everything  to  the  foe.  Washington 
covered  their  flight  and  saved  the  wreck  of  the  army  from  pursuit. 
While  this  disgrace  befell  the  English  arms  on  the  west,  far 
in  the  north  they  were  being  tarnished  by  an  act  of  heartless 
cruelty.  A  body  of  troops  sent  out  against  Acadia  (Nova  Scotia) 
easily  captured  the  petty  forts  on  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  The 
Acadians,  a  rural,  simple-minded  people,  wished  to  be  left  to  till 
their  farms  in  peace.  They  gladly  gave  up  their  arms  and 
promised  to  remain  neutral.  Refusing,  however,  to  take  the  oath 
of  allegiance  to  King  George  II.,  their  houses  were  fired  and 
they  driven  on  board  ship  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  In  the 
confusion  of  a  forced  embarkation,  wives  were  separated  from 
husbands  and  children  from  parents,  never  again  in  this  world  to 
be  reunited.  Seven  thousand  of  these  helpless  people  were  dis 
tributed  through  the  colonies  from  Maine  to  Georgia. 

"  Scattered  were  they,  like  flakes  of  snow,  when  the  wind  from  the  North-east 
Strikes  aslant  through  the  fogs  that  darken  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland. 
Friendless,  homeless,  hopeless,  they  wandered  from  city  to  city, 
From  the  cold  lakes  of  the  North  to  sultry  Southern  Savannas, — 
From  the  bleak  shores  of  the  sea  to  the  lands  where  the  Father  of  Waters 
Seizes  the  hills  in  his  hands  and  drags  them  down  to  the  ocean, 
Deep  in  their  sands  to  bury  the  scattered  bones  of  the  mammoth. 
Friends  they  sought  and  homes  ;  and  many,  despairing,  heart-broken, 
Asked  of  the  earth  but  a  grave,  and  no  longer  a  friend  nor  a  fireside." 

For  years  the  colonial  newspapers  contained  advertisements 
of  these  scattered  exiles,  seeking  reunion  with  their  lost  ones. 
That  they  might  not  wander  back  to  their  old  home,  it  was  utterly 
desolated.  The  humble  household  relics,  dear  to  their  simple 
hearts,  perished  in  the  flames.  Cattle,  sheep,  and  horses  were 
seized  as  spoils  by  their  cruel  conquerors.  "  There  was  none  left 
round  the  ashes  of  the  cottages  of  the  Acadians  but  the  faithful 
watch-dog,  vainly  seeking  the  hands  that  fed  him.  Thickets  of 
forest  trees  choked  their  orchards;  the  ocean  broke  over  their 
neglected  dikes  and  desolated  their  meadows."  Such  was  the 


1756.]  OLD    FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR.  79 

fate  of  the  simple  Acadian  peasants,  about  which  Longfellow  has 
woven  his  sweet  and  imperishable  story  of  Evangeline. 

About  the  same  time  as  Braddock's  defeat,  a  force  under 
William  Johnson  was  sent  against  the  fort  at  Crown  Point.  He 
met  the  French  under  General  Dieskau  near  the  head  of  Lake 
George.  After  a  hot  engagement,  the  French  regulars  were 
defeated  by  the  backwoods  riflemen  and  their  gallant  com 
mander  severely  wounded.  In  the  pursuit,  Dieskau  was  found 
by  a  soldier  leaning  against  a  stump.  As  he  was  fumbling  for 
his  watch  with  which  to  propitiate  his  captor,  the  soldier,  think 
ing  him  to  be  searching  for  his  pistol,  shot  him.  The  refugees 
from  the  battle  fell  into  an  ambuscade  of  some  New  York  and  New 
Hampshire  rangers  and  were  utterly  routed.  This  memorable 
conflict,  says  Parkman,  has  cast  its  dark  associations  over  one  of 
the  most  beautiful  spots  in  America.  Near  the  scene  of  the 
evening  fight,  a  pool,  half  overgrown  by  weeds  and  water-lilies, 
and  darkened  by  the  surrounding  forest,  is  pointed  out  to  the 
tourist,  and  he  is  told  that  beneath  its  stagnant  waters  lie  the 
bones  of  three  hundred  Frenchmen,  deep  buried  in  mud  and 
slime.  Johnson,  however,  gained  nothing  by  his  victory,  but 
loitered  away  the  summer  in  building  Fort  William  Henry. 

Two  years  of  disaster  followed.  In  1756,  the  French,  under 
Montcalm,  captured  Fort  Oswego  with  its  valuable  stores.  The 
missionaries  planted  a  cross  on  the  spot,  labeled,  "  This  is  the 
banner  of  victory ;"  and  by  its  side  was  placed  a  pillar  bearing 
the  arms  of  France  and  the  inscription,  "  Bring  lilies  with  full 
hands." 

The  following  year  Fort  William  Henry  was  forced  to  capit 
ulate.  The  English  were  guaranteed  a  safe  escort  to  Fort  Ed 
ward.  They  had  scarcely  left  the  fort,  however,  when  the  Indians 
fell  upon  them  to  plunder  and  slaughter.  In  vain  did  the  French 
officers  peril  their  lives  to  save  their  captives  from  the  lawless 
tomahawk.  "  Kill  me,"  cried  Montcalm,  in  desperation,  "  but 
spare  the  English,  who  are  under  my  protection."  But  the  In 
dian  fury  was  implacable,  and  the  march  of  the  prisoners  to  Fort 
Edward  became  a  flight  for  life. 

With  1758  dawned  a  brighter  day.  William  Pitt,  the  warm 
friend  of  the  colonies,  was  now  Prime  Minister  of  England.  An 
army  of  fifty  thousand  men  was  raised,  twenty-two  thousand 
British  regulars  and  twenty-eight  thousand  colonial  troops.  This 
was  equal  to  half  the  entire  population  of  New  France.  Fort  Du 


8o 


COLONIAL    WARS. 


[1758. 


Quesne  was  captured,  and  as  the  English  flag  floated  in  triumph 
over  the  ramparts,  this  gateway  to  the  West  received  the  name 
of  Pittsburg.  The  success  was  mainly  due  to  the  exertions  of 
Washington.  On  his  return  he  was  elected  to  the  House  of 
Burgesses.  As  he  took  his  seat,  the  Speaker,  in  the  name  of  Vir 
ginia,  publicly  returned  thanks  to  him  for  his  services  to  his 
country.  Washington,  taken  by  surprise,  rose  to  reply.  Blush 
ing  and  trembling,  he  found  himself  unable  to  utter  a  word. 
"  Sit  down,  Mr.  Washington,"  interposed  the  Speaker,  with  a 
smile  of  regard  ;  "  your  modesty  equals  your  valor,  and  that  sur 
passes  the  power  of  any  language  I  possess." 

Louisburg,  which  had  been  given  up  to  the  French  by  treaty, 
was  retaken  during  this  campaign.  General  Abercrombie,  how 
ever,  though  he  had  the  largest 
army  yet  raised  in  the  provinces 
— fifteen  thousand  men  —  was  dis 
astrously  driven  back  from  before 
Fort  Ticonderoga.  The  wanderer 
in  Westminster  Abbey  to-day  finds 
the  memory  of  Lord  Howe,  who 
fell  in  this  repulse,  perpetuated  by 
a  tablet  erected  in  his  honor  by  the 
Assembly  of  Massachusetts. 

The  next  campaign  (1759)  was 
destined  to  be  decisive.  Montcalm 
had  received  no  reinforcements 
from  home ;  Canada  was  impover 
ished  and  food  was  scarce,  so  that 
even  the  garrison  in  Quebec  had 
daily  rations  of  but  half  a  pound 
of  bread,  and  the  inhabitants  were 
forced  to  be  content  with  two 
ounces.  Forts  Niagara,  Crown 
Point,  and  Ticonderoga,  feebly  defended  by  the  French,  were 
soon  taken.  Meanwhile  General  Wolfe,  sailing  up  the  St.  Law 
rence,  struck  a  more  vital  blow.  With  a  formidable  fleet  and 
eight  thousand  men,  he  laid  siege  to  Quebec.  The  citadel, 
however,  far  above  the  reach  of  their  cannon,  and  the  craggy 
bluff,  bristling  with  guns,  for  a  time  repulsed  every  effort.  At 
length  he  discovered  a  narrow  path  leading  up  the  steep  preci 
pice.  Here  he  determined  to  land  his  troops,  ascend  to  the 


1759.] 


OLD    FRENCH    AND    INDIAN    WAR. 


8 1 


plain  above,  and  compel  Montcalm  to  come  out  of  his  intrench- 
ments  and  give  battle.     Sailing  several  miles  up  the  river,  he  dis 


embarked  his  men.  That  clear,  starry  night,  as  they  dropped 
down  with  the  tide  in  their  boats,  Wolfe,  who  was  just  recover 
ing  from  a  severe  illness,  softly  repeated  the  stanzas  of  a  new 
poem  which  he  had  lately  received  from  England.  Like  a  mourn 
ful  prophecy,  above  the  gentle  rippling  of  the  waters,  floated  the 
strangely  significant  words  from  the  lips  of  the  doomed  hero  : 

"  The  boast  of  heraldry,  the  pomp  of  power, 

And  all  that  beauty,  all  that  wealth  e'er  gave, 
Await  alike  the  inevitable  hour : 
The  paths  of  glory  lead  but  to  the  grave."—  Gray's  Elegy. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  as  he  closed  the  recital,  "  I  would  rather 
be  the  author  of  that  poem  than  to  have  the  glory  of  beating  the 
French  to-morrow." 

Having  reached  the  landing-place,  his  men,  clambering  up  the 
steep  cliff,  quickly  dispersed  the  guard,  and  at  day-break  he  stood 
with  his  entire  army  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle  on  the  Plains  of 
Abraham.  Montcalm,  astonished  at  the  audacity  of  the  attempt, 
could  scarcely  believe  it  possible.  When  convinced  of  its  truth 
he  at  once  made  an  impetuous  attack.  Wolfe's  veterans  held 
their  fire  until  the  French  were  close  at  hand,  then  poured  upon 
6 


82  COLONIAL    WARS.  [1759. 

them  rapid,  steady  volleys.  The  enemy  wavered.  Wolfe,  placing 
himself  at  the  head,  now  ordered  a  bayonet  charge.  Already 
twice  wounded,  he  still  pushed  forward.  A  third  ball  struck  him. 
He  was  carried  to  the  rear.  "  They  run  !  They  run  !"  exclaimed 
the  officer  on  whom  he  leaned.  "  Who  run?"  he  faintly  gasped. 
"  The  French,"  was  the  reply.  "  Now  God  be  praised,  I  die 
happy,"  murmured  the  expiring  hero.  Montcalm,  too,  was 
fatally  wounded  as  he  was  vainly  trying  to  rally  the  fugitives. 
On  being  told  by  the  surgeon  that  he  could  not  live  more  than 
twelve  hours,  he  answered,  "  So  much  the  better.  I  shall  not  see 
the  surrender  of  Quebec." 

One  knows  not  which  of  these  two  heroes  to  admire  the  more. 
Posterity  has  honored  both  alike.  A  monument  inscribed  WOLFE 
AND  MONTCALM  stands  to  their  memory  in  the  Governor's  Garden 
at  Quebec.  The  surrender  of  the  city  quickly  followed  the  defeat 
of  its  army.  The  next  year  the  fleur-de-lis  was  lowered  on  the 
flagstaff  of  Montreal,  and  the  cross  of  St.  George  took  its  place. 
Peace  was  made  at  Paris,  1763.  France  gave  up  all  the  country 
west  of  the  Mississippi  to  Spain,  who,  in  turn,  ceded  Florida  to 
England.  The  British  flag  now  waved  over  the  continent  from 
the  Arctic  Ocean  to  the  Gulf,  and  from  the  Atlantic  on  the  east  to 
the  "  Great  River"  on  the  west.  The  French  had  lost  their  foot 
hold  in  the  New  World  forever. 

The  English,  however,  were  not  left  in  quiet  possession  of 
their  vast  inheritance.  The  Indian  tribes  of  the  West  soon 
became  restive  under  their  new  and  harsher  masters.  Pontiac, 
head  of  the  Ottawas,  an  able,  cunning,  and  ambitious  chieftain, 
organized  a  wide-spread  conspiracy  for  the  simultaneous  destruc 
tion  of  the  British  garrisons.  All  the  Indian  shrewdness  was  ex 
ercised  in  accomplishing  this  design.  At  Maumee,  a  squaw  lured 
forth  the  commander  by  imploring  aid  for  an  Indian  woman  dying 
outside  the  fort.  Once  without,  he  was  at  the  mercy  of  the  am- 
bushed  savages.  At  Mackinaw,  hundreds  of  Indians  had  gathered. 
Commencing  a  game  of  ball,  one  party  drove  the  other,  as  if  by 
accident,  toward  the  fort.  The  soldiers  were  attracted  to  watch 
the  game.  At  length  the  ball  was  thrown  over  the  pickets,  and 
the  Indians  jumping  after  it,  began  the  terrible  butchery.  The 
commander,  Major  Henry,  writing  in  his  room,  heard  the  war- 
cry  and  the  shrieks  of  the  victims,  and  rushing  to  his  window 
beheld  the  savage  work  of  the  tomahawk  and  the  scalping-knife. 
Amid  untold  perils  he  himself  escaped.  At  Detroit,  the  plot  was 


17r>0-3.]         OLD  FRENCH  AND  INDIAN  WAR.  83 

betrayed,  it  is  said,  by  a  squaw  who  was  friendly  to  Major  Glad- 
win,  the  English  commander,  and  when  the  chiefs  were  admitted 
to  their  proposed  council  for  "  brightening  the  chain  of  friend 
ship,"  they  found  themselves  surrounded  by  an  armed  garrison. 
Pontiac  was  allowed  to  escape.  Two  days  after,  he  commenced 
a  siege  which  lasted  several  months.  Eight  forts  were  thus  cap 
tured.  Thousands  of  settlers  along  the  borders  fled  to  escape  the 
scalping-knife.  Finally,  the  Indian  confederacy  was  broken  up, 
and  Pontiac,  fleeing  westward,  was  assassinated  while  endeavor 
ing  to  unite  his  dusky  allies  in  another  attempt  to  recover  their 
ancient  hunting-grounds. 

The  contest  which  had  given  America  to  England  really  con 
ferred  it  upon  the  colonists.  From  the  issue  of  the  old  French 
and  Indian  war,  date  the  thought  of  independence  and  the  ability 
to  achieve  it.  A  struggle  against  a  common  foe  had  knit  the  scat 
tered  colonists  together.  Sectional  jealousies  had  been  measur 
ably  allayed.  The  colonies  had  come  to  know  their  own  strength. 
The  emergency  had  forced  them  to  think  and  act  independently 
of  the  mother  country,  to  raise  men  and  money,  and  to  use  them 
as  they  pleased.  Minds  work  fast  in  hours  of  peril,  and  demo 
cratic  ideas  had  taken  deep  root  in  these  troublesome  times. 
Colonial  and  regular  officers  had  belonged  to  the  same  army ; 
and  although,  while  on  parade,  the  British  affected  to  ridicule  the 
awkward  provincial,  he  often  owed  all  his  laurels,  and  sometimes 
even  his  safety,  on  the  field  of  battle,  to  the  prudence  and  valor  of 
his  despised  companion.  Washington,  Gates,  Montgomery,  Stark, 
Arnold,  Rogers,  Morgan,  Putnam,  and  a  score  of  others,  had  been 
in  training  during  these  years,  and  had  learned  how  to  meet  even 
British  regulars  when  the  time  came. 


1 


CHAPTER   IV. 

COLONIAL    LIFE. 

(HE  thirteen  colonies  now  (1774) 
numbered  about  two  million 
white  inhabitants  and  five 
hundred  thousand  negroes — 
mostly  slaves.  They  were 
mainly  scattered  along  the 
sea-coast  and  the  great  riv 
ers,  with  occasional  groups  of 
settlements  pushed  into  the 
backwoods  beyond.  Massa 
chusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and 
Connecticut  had  charter  gov 
ernments.  Maryland  and 
Pennsylvania  (with  Delaware) 

were  proprietary  —  that  is,  their  proprietors  governed  them. 
Georgia,  Virginia,  New  Hampshire,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and 
the  Carolinas  were  directly  subject  to  the  crown.  Boston  and 
Philadelphia  were  the  principal  cities,  each  having  not  far  from 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  New  York  contained  a  population 
of  about  twelve  thousand,  the  houses  not  yet  being  numbered. 
Charleston  had  about  eighteen  thousand.  Baltimore  and  Lan 
caster  (Pennsylvania)  had  each  about  six  thousand.  Agricul 
ture  was  the  main  employment  of  the  people.  Manufactures, 
however,  even  at  this  early  period,  received  much  attention 
at  the  North.  Hats,  paper,  shoes,  household  furniture,  farming 
utensils,  and  the  coarser  kinds  of  cutlery  were  made  to  some 
extent.  In  an  advertisement  of  1769,  we  read:  "  The  Bell 
Cart  will  go  through  Boston  before  the  end  of  next  month 
to  collect  rags  for  the  Paper  Mill  at  Milton,  when  all  people  that 
will  encourage  the  Paper  Manufactory  may  dispose  of  them." 
Cloth  -  weaving  had  been  introduced,  although  most  thrifty 
people  wove  their  own,  and  every  frugal  housewife  expected 


COMMERCE    AND    COINAGE.  85 

to  dress  her  family  in  homespun.  In  1753,  the  Society  for 
Promoting  Industry  among  the  Poor,  at  its  anniversary,  ex 
hibited,  on  Boston  Common,  three  hundred  young  spinsters, 
each  with  her  wheel ;  and  a  weaver,  working  at  his  loom,  was 
carried  through  the  streets  on  men's  shoulders.  Commerce 
had  steadily  increased — principally,  however,  as  coast  trade,  in 
consequence  of  the  oppressive  laws  of  Great  Britain.  The  daring 
fishermen  of  New  England  already  pushed  their  whaling  crafts 
far  into  the  icy  regions  of  the  north.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolu 
tion  the  exports  of  the  colonies  were  about  four  million  pounds 
sterling,  and  the  imports  three  and  a  half  millions ;  the  exports, 
per  capita,  being  in  1769  nearly  equal  to  those  of  1869,  and  the 
imports  over  one-half  as  great.  Money  was  scarce.  Trade  was 
by  barter — a  coat  for  a  cow,  or  a  barrel  of  sugar  for  a  pile  of 
boards.  In  1635,  bullets  were  given  instead  of  farthings — the  law 
not  allowing  over  twelve  in  one  payment.  Massachusetts  was 
the  only  colony  to  coin  money.  A  mint  was  set  up  in  1652.  For 
thirty  years  all  the  coins  bore  the 
same  date.  They  are  known  as  the 
pine-tree  shillings,  sixpences,  etc. 
The  following  curious  anecdote  is 
told  concerning  this  coinage :  "  Sir 
Thomas  Temple,  brother  of  Sir 
William  Temple,  resided  several 
years  in  New  England  during  the 

commonwealth.  After  the  Restoration,  when  he  returned  to 
England,  the  king  sent  for  him,  and  discoursed  with  him  on  the 
state  of  affairs  in  Massachusetts,  and  discovered  great  warmth 
against  that  colony.  Among  other  things,  he  said  they  had  in 
vaded  his  prerogative  by  coining  money.  Sir  Thomas,  who  was 
a  real  friend  to  the  colony,  told  his  Majesty  that  the  colonists 
had  but  little  acquaintance  with  law,  and  that  they  thought  it  no 
crime  to  make  money  for  their  own  use.  In  the  course  of  the 
conversation,  Sir  Thomas  took  some  of  the  money  out  of  his 
pocket,  and  presented  it  to  the  king.  On  one  side  of  the  coin 
was  a  pine-tree,  of  that  kind  which  is  thick  and  bushy  at  the  top. 
Charles  asked  what  tree  that  was.  Sir  Thomas  informed  him 
it  was  the  royal  oak  which  preserved  his  Majesty's  life.  This  ac 
count  of  the  matter  brought  the  king  into  good  humor,  and  dis 
posed  him  to  hear  what  Sir  Thomas  had  to  say  in  their  favor, 
calling  them  '  a  parcel  of  honest  dogs.'  " 


PINE-TREE   SHILLING. 


86  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

The  first  printing-press  was  set  up  at  Cambridge  in  1639.  The 
first  book  printed  was  the  "  Freeman's  Oath,"  the  second,  an 
almanac,  and  the  third  a  psalm-book.  Most  of  the  books  of  this 
day  were  collections  of  sermons.  The  first  permanent  newspaper, 
The  Boston  News  Letter,  was  published  in  1704.  In  1750  there 
were  only  seven  newspapers.  The  Federal  Orrery,  the  first  daily 
paper,  was  not  issued  till  1792.  The  first  circulating  library  in 
America  was  established  under  Franklin's  auspices  at  Philadel 
phia  in  1732.  There  was  a  public  library  in  New  York,  from 
which  books  were  loaned  at  four  and  a  half  pence  per  week.  In 
1754,  the  Society  Library  was  founded.  Eleven  years  later  there 
was  a  circulating  library  in  Boston  of  twelve  hundred  volumes. 
As  yet  very  few  books  had  been  printed  here.  Scarcely  any 
American  work  was  read  in  Europe.  There  was,  however,  a 
growing  taste  for  literature  and  art.  Jonathan  Edwards's  meta 
physical  writings  and  Franklin's  philosophical  treatises  had 
excited  much  attention  even  in  the  Old  World.  West  and 
Copley  had  already  achieved  a  reputation  as  artists  of  ability  and 
skill. 

The  usual  mode  of  travel  was  on  foot  or  horseback,  the  roads 
being  poor,  and  as  yet  few  bridges  across  the  rivers.  Chaises 
and  gigs,  however,  were  in  use,  with  their  high  wheels,  and  bodies 
hung  low  on  wooden  springs.  People  along  the  coast  journeyed 
largely  by  means  of  sloops  navigated  by  a  man  and  a  boy.  The 
trip  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia  occupied  three  days  if  the 
wind  was  fair.  There  was  a  wagon  running  bi-weekly  from  New 

York  across  New 
Jersey.  Conveyan 
ces  were  put  on  in 
1766,  which  made 
the  unprecedented 
time  of  two  days 
from  New  York  to 
Philadelphia.  They 

THE   OLD    STAGE   COACH.  L  J 

were,     therefore, 

termed  "  flying  machines."      The  first  stage  route  was  between 
Providence  and  Boston,  taking  two  days  for  the  trip. 

A  post-office  system  had  been  effected  by  the  combination 
of  the  colonies,  which  united  the  whole  country.  The  rate  of 
postage  was  fourpence  for  each  letter  if  carried  less  than  sixty 
miles,  sixpence  between  sixty  and  a  hundred  and  sixty  miles, 


EDUCATION    IN    THE    COLONIES.  87 

and  twopence  for  every  hundred  miles  thereafter.  A  mail  was 
started  in  1672,  between  New  York  and  Boston,  by  way  of  Hart 
ford.  By  contract  the  round  trip  was  to  be  made  monthly. 
Benjamin  Franklin  was  one  of  the  early  postmasters  -  general. 
He  made  a  grand  tour  of  the  country  in  his  chaise,  perfecting 
and  maturing  the  plan.  His  daughter  Sally  accompanied  him, 
riding  sometimes  by  his  side  in  the  chaise,  and  sometimes  on 
the  extra  horse  which  he  had  with  him.  It  took  five  months 
to  make  the  rounds  which  could  now  be  performed  in  as  many 
days. 

Education  early  made  great  progress.  Under  the  eaves  of  the 
church  the  Puritans  always  built  a  school-house.  The  records  of 
Boston  contain  the  following:  "The  i3th  of  ye  2nd  month,  1635. 
It  was  then  generally  agreed  upon  yt  our  brother  Philemon  Pur- 
mount  shall  be  intreated  to  become  schoolmaster  for  ye  teaching 
and  nourturing  of  all  children  with  us."  When  the  city  was  but 
six  years  old,  four  hundred  pounds  were  appropriated  to  the  semi 
nary  at  Cambridge,  now  known  as  Harvard  University.  Some 
years  after,  each  family  gave  a  peck  of  corn  or  a  shilling  in  cash  for 
its  support.  In  1700,  ten  ministers,  having  previously  so  agreed, 
brought  together  a  number  of  books,  each  saying  as  he  laid  down 
his  gift,  "  I  give  these  books  for  founding  a  college  in  Connecticut." 
This  was  the  beginning  of  Yale  College.  It  was  first  established 
at  Say  brook,  but  in  1716  was  removed  to  New  Haven.  It  was 
named  from  Governor  Yale,  who  befriended  it  most  generously. 
Earlier  than  this,  common  schools  had  been  provided,  not,  how 
ever,  free,  but  supported  by  voluntary  offerings.  In  1647,  Massa 
chusetts  made  the  support  of  schools  compulsory  and  education 
universal  and  free.  We  read  that,  in  1665,  every  town  had  a 
free  school,  and,  if  it  contained  over  one  hundred  families,  a  gram 
mar  school.  In  Connecticut  every  town  that  did  not  keep  a  school 
for  three  months  in  the  year  was  liable  to  a  fine. 

The  Middle  Colonies  had  already  their  colleges  and  many 
humbler  schools  scattered  through  the  towns.  In  the  Dutch 

o 

period  it  was  usual  for  the  schoolmaster,  in  order  to  increase 
his  emoluments,  to  act  as  town-clerk,  sexton,  and  chorister ;  to 
ring  the  bell,  dig  graves,  etc.  ;  somewhat  after  the  custom  still 
preserved  in  the  country  schools  of  Germany.  Licenses  were 
granted  to  schoolmasters  for  exclusive  privileges. 

The  following,  given  by  an  English  governor,  Lovelace,  for  Al 
bany,  then  a  mere  rude  hamlet,  in  1670,  is  still  preserved  :  Where- 


88  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

as,  Jan  Jeurians  Beecker  had  a  Graunt  to  keep  ye  Dutch  school  at 
Albany  for  ye  teaching  of  youth  to  read  &  to  wryte  ye  which 
was  allowed  of  and  confirmed  to  him  by  my  predecessor  Coll. 
Richard  Nicolls  Notwithstanding  which  severall  others  not  so 
capable  do  undertake  ye  like  some  perticular  tymes  &  seasons  of 
ye  yeare  when  they  have  no  other  Imployment,  where  by  ye  schol- 
lars  removing  from  one  Schoole  to  another  do  not  onely  give  a 
great  discouragement  to  ye  maister  who  makes  it  his  businesse  all 
ye  yeare  but  also  are  hindred  &  become  ye  more  backwards  in 
there  learning  ffor  ye  reasons  aforesaid  I  have  thought  fitt  that  ye 
said  Jan  Jeurians  Beecker  who  is  esteemed  very  capable  that  way 
shall  be  ye  allowed  schoolmaster  for  ye  instructing  of  ye  youth  at 
Albany  &  partes  adjacent  he  following  ye  said  Imployment  Con 
stantly  &  diligently  &  that  no  other  be  admitted  to  interrupt  him 
It  being  to  be  presumed  that  ye  said  Beecker  for  ye  youth  & 
Jacob  Joosten  who  is  allowed  of  for  ye  teaching  of  ye  younger 
children  are  sufficient  for  that  place. 

Given  under  my  hand  at  ffort  James  in  New-Yorke  this  i6th 
day  of  May  1670. 

In  the  English  period  some  of  the  New  York  schools  were 
kept  by  Dutch  masters,  who  taught  English  as  an  accomplish 
ment.  In  1702,  an  act  was  passed  for  the  "  Encouragement  of  a 
Grammar  Free  School  in  the  City  of  New  York."  Kings  (now 
Columbia)  College,  was  chartered  in  1754.  It  is  a  noticeable  fact 
that  the  astronomical  instrument  known  as  the  Orrery,  invented 
by  Dr.  Rittenhouse  in  1768,  is  still  preserved  in  Princeton  College. 
No  European  institution  had  its  equal.  At  Lewiston,  Delaware, 
is  said  to  have  been  established  the  first  girls'  school  in  the  col 
onies.  The  first  school  in  Pennsylvania  was  started  about  1683, 
where  "  reading,  writing,  and  casting  accounts  "  were  taught,  for 
eight  English  shillings  per  annum. 

The  Southern  Colonies  met  with  great  difficulties  in  their  efforts 
to  establish  schools.  Though  Virginia  boasts  of  the  second  oldest 
college  in  the  Union,  yet  her  English  governors  bitterly  opposed 
the  progress  of  education.  Governor  Berkeley,  of  whose  haughty 
spirit  we  have  already  heard,  said,  "  I  thank  God  there  are  no  free 
schools  nor  printing-presses  here,  and  I  hope  we  shall  not  have 
them  these  hundred  years."  The  restrictions  upon  the  press  were 
so  great  that  no  newspaper  was  published  in  Virginia  until  1736, 
and  that  was  controlled  by  the  government.  Free  schools  were 


NEW    ENGLAND    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH    CENTURY. 


89 


established  in  Maryland  in  1696,  and  a  free  school  in  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  in  1712.     Private  schools  were  early  established 
by  the  colonists  in  every 
neighborhood.     The   rich 
er  planters  commonly  sent 
their   sons  to   England  to 
be  educated. 

At  the  opening  of  the 
Revolution  there  were  nine 
colleges  in  the  colonies : 
Harvard,  founded  1636; 
William  and  Mary,  1693 ; 
Yale,  1 700 ;  Princeton, 
1746;  University  of  Penn 
sylvania,  1749;  Columbia, 
1754;  Brown  University, 
1764;  Dartmouth,  '  1769; 
Rutgers,  1770.  There  was 
no  law  or  theological 

school,  although  a  medical  school  had  been  founded  in  Philadel 
phia  1762,  and  one  in  New  York  1769. 


EARLY    PRINTING-PRESS. 


NEW    EJNQLAND    IN    THE    SEVENTEENTH     CENTUFJY. 

The  New  England  character  was  marked  by  severe  integrity. 
Conduct  was  shaped  by  a  literal  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures. 
Private  morals  were  carefully  watched  by  the  authorities  in 
church  and  state.  In  the  earliest  times  the  ministers  had  almost 
entire  control,  and  a  church  reproof  was  considered  the  heaviest 
disgrace.  But  something  further  was  soon  found  necessary  for 
less  tender  consciences  and  more  flagrant  offenders.  A  man  was 
whipped  for  shooting  fowl  on  Sunday.  The  swearer  was  made 
to  meditate  over  his  sin,  standing  in  a  public  place  with  his 
tongue  in  a  cleft  stick  ;  sometimes  he  was  fined  twelve  pence,  or 
set  in  the  stocks,  or  imprisoned,  "  according  to  the  nature  and 
quality  of  the  person."  In  exaggerated  offences,  the  unruly 
member  was  bored  through  with  a  hot  iron.  Minor  transgres 
sions  of  the  tongue  were  not  winked  at,  and  the  unhappy  house- 


COLONIAL    LIFE. 


A   SCOLD    GAGGED. 


wife,  whose  temper  got  the  better  of  her  wisdom,  had  sorry 
leisure  for  repentance.  "  Scolds,"  says  Josselyn,  writing  of  the 

old  "  Body  of  Laws  of  1646," 
"  they  gag  and  set  them  at 
their  doors  for  certain  hours, 
for  all  comers  and  goers  by 
to  gaze  at."  "  Ducking  in 
running  water"  is  also  men 
tioned  as  a  punishment  for 
this  class  of  offenders.  Philip 
Ratcliffe,  of  the  colony,  was 
sentenced  to  "  be  whipped, 
have  his  ears  cut  off,  fined 
forty  shillings,  and  banished 
out  of  the  limits  of  the  juris 
diction,  for  uttering  mali 
cious  and  scandalous  speeches 
against  the  government  and 
the  church  of  Salem."  As 
to  the  "  prophanely  behaved  " 

person,  who  lingered  "  without  dores  att  the  meeting-house  on 
the  Lord's  daies,"  to  indulge  in  social  chat  or  even  to  steal  a 
quiet  nap,  he  was  "  admonished  "  by  the  constables  ;  on  a  second 
offence   "  sett   in   the   stockes,"  and   if 
his  moral  sense  was  still  perverted,  he 
was  cited  before  the  court.     If  any  man 
should    dare   to  interrupt  the   preach 
ing  or  falsely  charge  the  minister  with 
error,  "  in  the  open  face  of  the  church," 
or  otherwise  make  "  God's  wayes  con 
temptible  and  ridiculous, — every  such 
person  or  persons  (whatsoever  censure 
the  church  may  passe)  shall  for  the  first 
scandall   bee  convented  and  reproved 

openly  by  the  magistrates  at  some  Lecture,  and  bound  to  their 
good  behaviour.  And  if  the  second  time  they  breake  forth  into 
the  like  contemptuous  carriages,  they  shall  either  pay  five  pounds 
to  the  publique  Treasure  or  stand  two  houres  openly  upon  a  block 
or  stoole  four  foott  high  uppon  a  Lecture  day,  with  a  paper  fixed 
on  his  Breast,  written  with  capitalle  letters,  An  open  and  obstinate 
contemner  of  God's  holy  ordinances'" 


THE    STOCKS. 


NEW  ENGLAND  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY, 


91 


The  first  "  meeting-houses  "  consisted  of  a  single  room,  per 
haps  twenty  by  thirty-six  feet  in  size  and  twelve  feet  high  "  in  the 
stud."  The  roof  was  either  shingled  or  thatched  with  long 
grass.  It  was  a  great  advance  when  the}^  were  able  to  have  it 
"  lathed  on  the  inside,  and  so  daubed  and  whitened  over,  work 
manlike."  They  were  afterwards  built  with  a  pyramidal  roof, 
crowned  with  a  belfry.  The  bell-rope  hung  from  the  centre,  and 
the  sexton  performed  his  office  half  Avay  between  the  pulpit  and 
the  large  entrance  door.  Such  a  meeting-house,  built  in  1681, 
still  stands  in  Hingham,  Massachusetts. 

In  the  early  Plymouth  days  every  house  opened  on  Sunday 
morning  at  the  tap  of  the  drum.  The  men  in  "  sad  colored  man 
tles,"  and  armed  to  the  teeth,  the  women  in  sober  gowns, 
kerchiefs  and  hoods,  all  assembled  in  front  of  the  captain's  house. 
Three  abreast,  they  marched  up  the  hill  to  the  meeting-house, 
where  every  man  set  down  his  musket  within  easy  reach.  The 
elders  and  deacons  took  their  seat 
in  a  "  long  pue  "  in  front  of  the 
preacher's  desk,  facing  the  congre 
gation.  The  old  men,  the  young 
men,  and  the  young  women  each 
had  their  separate  place.  The 
boys  were  gravely  perched  on  the 
pulpit-stairs  or  in  the  galleries,  and 
had  a  constable  or  tithing-man  to 
keep  them  in  order.  The  light 
came  straggling  through  the  little 
diamond -shaped  window-panes, 
weirdly  gilding  the  wolf-heads 
which  hung  upon  the  walls — tro 
phies  of  the  year's  conquests.  As 

glass  was  scarce,  oiled  paper  was  sometimes  used  in  its  stead.  The 
service  began  with  the  long  prayer,  and  was  followed  by  reading 
and  expounding  of  the  Scriptures,  a  psalm — lined  by  one  of  the 
ruling  elders — from  Ainsworth's  Version,  which  the  colonists 
brought  over  with  them,  and  the  sermon.  Instrumental  music 
was  absolutely  proscribed,  as  condemned  by  the  text  (Amos  v.  23), 
"  I  will  not  hear  the  melody  of  thy  viols"  ;  and  one  tune  for  each 
metre  was  all  those  good  old  fathers  needed.  Those  now  known 
as  York,  Hackney,  Windsor,  St.  Marys,  and  Martyrs  were  the 
standard  stock,  and  they  were  intoned  with  a  devout  zeal  almost 


THE    FIRST    CHURCH    ERECTED    IN    CONNECTICUT. 
HARTFORD,    1638. 


92  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

forgotten  in  these  modern  times  of  organs  and  trained  choirs. 
The  approved  length  of  the  sermon  was  an  hour,  and  the  sexton 
turned  the  hour-glass  which  stood  upon  the  desk  before  the  min 
ister.  But  woe  to  the  unlucky  youngster  whose  eyelids  drooped 
in  slumber !  The  ever-vigilant  constables,  with  their  wands 
tipped  on  one  extremity  with  the  foot  and  on  the  other  with  the 
tail  of  a  hare,  brought  the  heavier  end  down  sharply  on  the  little 
nodding,  flaxen  head.  The  careworn  matron  who  was  betrayed 
into  a  like  offence  was  gently  reminded  of  her  duty  by  a  touch 
on  the  forehead  with  the  softer  end  of  the  same  stick.  After  the 
sermon  came  the  weekly  contribution.  The  congregation, 
sternly  solemn,  marched  to  the  front,  the  chief  men  or  magis 
trates  first,  and  deposited  their  offerings  in  the  money-box  held 
by  one  of  the  elders  or  deacons.  The  occupants  of  the  galleries 
also  came  down,  and  marching  two  abreast,  up  one  aisle  and 
down  another,  paid  respect  to  the  church  treasury  in  money, 
paper  promises,  or  articles  of  value,  according  to  their  ability. 
Among  other  provisions  made  or  recommended  for  the  support 
of  the  pastor,  we  find  the  following:  "  1662.  The  court  proposeth 
it  as  a  thing  they  judge  would  be  very  commendable  &  bene- 
ficiall  to  the  townes  where  God's  providence  shall  cast  any 
whales,  if  they  should  agree  to  sett  apart  some  p'te  of  every 
such  fish  or  oyle  for  the  incouragement  of  an  able  and  godly 
minister  amongst  them." 

A  search  among  the  old  colonial  records  is  rewarded  by 
curious  glimpses  of  Puritan  character.  Old  bachelors  seem  to 
have  been  held  by  the  fathers  in  small  respect,  and  on  account  of 
the  "  great  inconvenience  "  arising  from  their  anomalous  condition, 
it  was  ordered  that "  henceforth  noe  single  p'sons  be  suffered  to  live 
of  himself  or  in  any  family,  but  as  the  celect  men  of  the  towne 
shall  approve  of."  No  youth  under  twenty-one  should  "  take  any 
tobacko  untill  hee  had  brought  a  certificate  under  the  hands  of 
some  who  are  approved  for  knowledge  and  skill  in  phisick,  that  it 
is  useful  for  him,  and  also  that  he  hath  received  a  lycense  from 
the  courte  for  the  same."  We  read  of  fines  for  the  juryman  who 
should  indulge  in  tobacco  the  same  day  of  rendering  verdict ; 
also  for  all  persons — except  soldiers  on  training  days — who  used 
it  "  in  very  uncivil  manner  publickly  "  in  the  streets  ;  or  "  within 
ten  miles  of  any  house,  and  then  not  more  than  once  a  day  " ; 
penalties  for  the  "  bringing  in  to  the  colony  of  any  Quaker, 
Rantor,  or  other  notorious  heritiques,"  and,  strangest  of  all  to 


NEW  ENGLAND  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.      93 

the  eyes  of  the  active,  wire-pulling  politician  of  to-day,  a  law 
that  any  who  "  were  elected  to  the  office  of  Governor,  and  would 
not  stand  to  the  election,  nor  hold  and  execute  the  office  for  his 
year,"  should  "  be  amerced  in  Twenty  pounds  sterling  fine,"  as 
the  price  of  his  modesty  or  contumacy  !  O  for  the  refreshing 
shadow  of  our  great-grandfathers  to  overhang  the  nineteenth 
century  caucus  ! 

Fast  and  thanksgiving  were  the  great  public  days.  A  fast-day 
was  regularly  kept  at  the  season  of  annual  planting ;  but  days  of 
fasting  and  prayer  were  often  appointed  on  account  of  some  special 
or  threatened  calamity.  In  1644,  one  day  in  every  month  was  or 
dered  to  be  thus  observed.  Excellent  care,  however,  was  always 
taken  to  avoid  a  fast  on  Good  Friday,  as  well  as  to  keep  clear  of 
a  feast  on  Christmas.  Our  Puritan  forefathers  were  rigidly  jeal 
ous  of  the  slightest  concession  to  "  Popish  "  customs.  We  cannot 
suppress  a  smile  when  we  read  that,  not  content  with  denying  the 
title  of  "  Saint  "  to  the  apostles  and  ancient  Christian  fathers,  they 
even  refused  to  speak  it  when  applied  to  places.  "  The  Island  of 
St.  Christophers  was  always  wrote  Christophers,  and  by  the  same 
rule  all  other  places  to  which  Saint  had  been  prefixed.  If  any 
exception  was  made,  an  answer  was  ready  :  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob  had  as  good  right  to  this  appellation  as  Peter,  James,  and 
John."  "  Because,"  says  Lechford,  "  they  would  avoid  all 
memory  of  heathenish  and  idols'  names,"  they  designated  the 
days  of  the  week  and  the  months  of  the  year  by  numbers. 
March  was  the  first  month,  and  Sunday  or  Sabbath,  as  they 
styled  it,  the  first  day.  Morton,  who  complained  before  the 
Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Plantations  in  England  of  some  of 
the  Puritan  ways,  especially  marriages  by  magistrates,  says, 
"  The  people  of  New  England  hold  the  use  of  a  ring  in  marriage 
to  be  a  relique  of  popery,  a  diabolical  circle  for  the  Devell  to 
daunce  in." 

Whatever  cheer  was  lost,  from  conscientious  scruples,  at 
Christmas-tide,  was  made  up  on  Thanksgiving  day,  especially  in 
Connecticut.  From  its  first  celebration,  eighteen  years  after  the 
Mayflower  landing,  it  was  the  great  social  event  of  the  whole 
twelve  months.  The  growing  family  was  gathered,  from  far  and 
near,  and  clustering  round  the  paternal  hearthstone,  forgot  every 
trial  in  the  joys  of  kinship.  For  days  before  it  came,  the  plump 
est  fowls,  the  yellowest  pumpkins,  and  the  finest  of  vegetables 
were  marked  and  put  aside.  The  stalled  ox  and  the  fatted  calf 


94  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

were  killed.  When  the  glad  morning  arrived  a  happy  flutter 
pervaded  every  home.  Children's  feet  pattered  over  the  old  farm 
house  from  cellar  to  garret  and  made  the  rafters  echo  with  their 
noisy  glee.  "  Sometimes  there  were  so  many  that  the  house 
would  scarcely  hold  them  ;  but  the  dear  old  grandmother,  whose 
memory  could  hardly  keep  the  constantly  lengthening  record  of 
their  births,  and  whose  eye,  dim  with  tears  and  age,  could  never 
see  which  child  to  love  the  best,  welcomed  each  with  a  trembling 
hand  and  overflowing  heart." — (Hollisters  Hist,  of  Conn.)  After 
the  public  service,  came  the  generous  dinner ;  and  then  all  gath 
ered  around  the  blazing  hickory  fire  to  listen  to  the  joys  and 
perils  of  the  year.  As  the  little  eyes  grew  sleepy  and  fair  heads 
began  to  nod  with  very  weariness  of  enjoyment,  the  old  family 
Bible  was  brought  out,  and  the  day  was  closed  with  a  fervent 
thanksgiving  for  mercies  past  and  supplications  for  the  future. 
Huskings,  apple-parings,  and  quiltings  were  also  favorite  occa 
sions  for  social  gathering.  Governor  Winthrop  prohibited  cards 
and  gaming-tables.  Dancing,  however,  was  not  entirely  for 
bidden  in  New  England  circles,  for  we  read  that  it  was  long  the 
custom  in  Connecticut  for  the  young  people  of  a  parish  to  cele 
brate  the  settlement  of  the  new  minister  by  an  ordination  ball. 
But  these  gradually  fell  into  disrepute,  and  were  at  last  sup 
pressed  by  public  sentiment. 

The  houses  of  most  of  the  first  settlers  were,  of  necessity, 
primitive — a  log  cabin,  often  of  a  single  room,  with  an  immense 
chimney  built  externally  at  its  side.  The  chinks  between  the 
logs  were  "  daubed,"  as  the  term  was,  with  a  mortar  of  clay 
and  straw.  Tall  grass,  gathered  along  the  beaches,  was  largely 
used  for  the  thatching  of  roofs.  There  were  not  wanting, 
however,  some  "  fair  and  stately  houses,"  for  which  the  New 
Haven  people  were  reproved  as  having  "  laid  out  too  much  of 
their  stocks  and  estates"  in  them.  One  Isaac  Allerton,  especially, 
is  mentioned  as  having  "  built  a  grand  house  on  the  creek,  with 
four  porches."  Governor  Coddington  built  a  brick  house  in 
Boston  before  he  went  thence  to  found  his  colony.  Rev.  Mr. 
Whitefield's  stone  house  in  Guilford,  Conn.,  has  endured  two  hun 
dred  and  thirty-seven  years,  and  is  the  oldest  house,  standing 
as  originally  built,  in  the  United  States,  north  of  Florida.  After 
thirty  years,  a  better  class  of  dwellings  began  to  be  more  com 
mon.  They  were  usually  made  of  heavy  oak  frames,  put  together 
in  the  most  solid  manner,  and  made  secure  at  night  by  massive 


NEW  ENGLAND  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY. 


95 


WHITEFIELD  S    HOUSE,    GUILFORD,    CONNECTICUT. 


wooden  bars.  After  the  Indians  and  wild  beasts  had  been  driven 
back  by  increased  settlement,  bolts  and  bars  fell  into  disuse.  The 
foundations  of  the  huge 
old  stone  chimneys  were 
about  twelve  feet  square. 
Forest  logs  four  feet  in 
length  were  piled  upon 
the  ponderous  andirons, 
and  on  occasions  a  big 
"back -log"  was  drawn 
into  the  house  by  a  horse, 
and  then  rolled  into  the 
fireplace  with  hand-spikes. 
"  Blazing  hearthstones" 
had  then  a  meaning  at 
which,  in  our  days  of  fur 
naces  and  steam -pipes, 
we  can  only  guess.  No 
need  for  artificial  venti 
lators  when,  through  the 

crevices  of  the  building,  swept  such  keen,  brisk  currents  of  air 
In  the  morning  the  farmer  and  his  family  sat  down  to  their  break 
fast  of  "  bean  porridge,"  or  boiled  cornmeal  and  milk,  with  a 
healthy  appetite.  Beer,  cider,  or  cold  water  furnished  their  usual 
beverage ;  for  tea  and  coffee  were  unknown  in  New  England 
homes  in  the  seventeenth  century.  "  Rye  and  Indian  "  was  the 
staff  of  life  on  which  they  leaned  the  most.  We  can  fancy  a  New 
England  table  of  those  early  days,  with  its  pewter  dishes,  bright 
ened  to  their  utmost  polish,  and,  in  the  wealthier  households,  here 
and  there  a  silver  beaker  or  tankard,  the  heirloom  of  the  family. 
The  dinner,  which  is  at  noon,  opens  with  a  large  Indian  pudding 
— ground  corn  sweetened  with  molasses — accompanied  by  an 
appropriate  sauce ;  next  come  boiled  beef  and  pork ;  then 
wild  game  with  potatoes,  followed  by  turnips  and  samp  or  succo 
tash.  Pumpkins  were  served  in  various  ways.  Supper  was  also 
a  substantial  meal,  though  generally  eaten  cold.  Baked  beans, 
baked  Indian  pudding,  and  newly-baked  rye  and  Indian  bread 
were  standard  dishes  for  Wednesday,  "  after  the  washing  and 
ironing  agonies  of  Monday  and  Tuesday  "  ;  salt  fish  on  Saturday, 
but  never  on  Friday,  the  "  Popish  "  fast-day  ;  and  boiled  Indian 
pudding,  with  roast  beef  for  those  who  could  get  it,  on  Sunday. 


96  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

Although,  from  the  scarcity  of  laborers,  the  proprietors  toiled 
often  in  the  same  fields  with  the  servants  they  had  brought  over 
from  Old  England,  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  there  were  no 
grades  or  degrees  in  society.  Titles,  however,  were  used  spar 
ingly.  Even  that  of  Reverend  does  not  seem  to  have  been  in  use 
for  at  least  a  half  century  after  the  Mayflower  touched  port — the 
minister  being  addressed  and  recorded  as  Mr.,  Pastor,  Teacher, 
or  Elder.  The  first  prefix,  in  fact,  indicated  much  more  in  old 
colonial  times  than  at  present.  Clergymen,  the  more  distin 
guished  members  of  the  General  Court,  highly-born  and  Univer 
sity-bred  men  alone,  were  honored  with  it.  Young  men,  of  what 
ever  rank,  were  seldom  granted  it.  To  be  called  Mr.,  or  to  have 
one's  name  recorded  by  the  secretary  with  that  prefix,  two  hun 
dred  years  ago,  was  a  pretty  certain  index  of  the  person's  rank  as 
respects  birth,  education,  and  moral  character.  As  for  the  com 
mon  people  above  the  grade  of  servants,  the  yeomen,  tenants, 
owners  of  small  estates,  and  even  many  deputies  to  the  General 
Court,  they  were  content  with  the  appellation  of  Goodman,  their 
wives  receiving  the  corresponding  one  of  Goodwife.  The  title  of 
Sir  was  often  given  to  undergraduates  at  a  university  or  college 
who  belonged  to  distinguished  families.  "  Hence  a  son  of  Gov 
ernor  Winthrop,  Mr.  Sherman,  or  Governor  Treat,  returning 
home  from  Yale  or  Cambridge  to  spend  a  vacation,  would  be 
greeted  by  his  old  companions  as  Sir  Winthrop,  Sir  Sherman,  or 
Sir  Treat."  The  Esquire  or  Squire  was  added  or  prefixed  to  de 
scendants  of  the  English  nobility,  sons  of  baronets,  knights,  etc. 
Such  titles  as  "  the  Honored,"  "  the  Worshipful,"  "  the  Worshipful 
and  much  Honored,"  sometimes  occur  prefixed  to  such  names  as 
John  Winthrop,  or  Captain  John  Allyn.  Military  titles  were 
especially  reverenced,  for  a  long  time  "  Captain  "  being  the  highest 
given. 

Training-day  was  a  great  event.  All  the  men  from  sixteen  to 
sixty  years  of  age  were  required  to  participate  in  the  general  drill. 
There  does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  uniform  dress,  and  no 
music  but  that  of  the  drum  to  inspirit  the  military  movements ; 
but  as  every  member  of  the  militia  practised  for  the  defence  of 
his  own  household,  we  can  well  imagine  that  there  was  lacking 
neither  zest  nor  zeal.  At  Plymouth,  by  law,  trainings  were 
"  always  begun  and  ended  with  prayer."  The  pikemen — the  tall 
est  and  strongest  in  the  colony — shouldered  their  pikes — ten  feet 
in  length,  besides  the  spear  at  the  end — with  religious  resolution ; 


NEW  ENGLAND  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.      97 

the  musketeers  firmly  grasped  their  clumsy  old  matchlocks ;  and 
the  young  Puritan  boys  looked  on  and  sighed  with  envy,  longing 
for  the  time  when  they,  too,  might  wear  helmet  and  breastplate, 
or  a  cotton-stuffed  coat  to  turn  the  Indian  arrows.  To  be  even 
a  corporal  in  the  militia  was  an  honor  which  required  an  extra 


TRAINING-DAY   IN   THE   OLDEN   TIME. 


amount  of  humility  to  bear  without  danger  to  the  soul.  John 
Hull,  a  prosperous  Boston  merchant,  chosen  to  that  office  in  1648, 
praises  God  for  giving  him  "acceptance  and  favor  in  the  eyes 
of  His  people,  and,  as  a  fruit  thereof,  advancement  above  his 
deserts." 

How  would  those  ante-revolutionary  fathers  have  stared  at 
our  swift  express  trains,  our  lines  of  telegraphic  wires,  and  our 
pleasure-trips  from  Atlantic  to  Pacific  shore !  Even  a  stage-coach 
was  to  them  a  luxury  yet  unknown.  The  fair  bride  accompanied 
her  husband,  gentleman  or  yeoman,  on  the  wedding  trip,  from  her 
father's  house  to  his  own  home,  wherever  it  might  be,  seated  on 
a  pillion  behind  him  on  his  horse.  She  expected  to  prove  a  "  help 
meet  for  him,"  as  the  minister's  wedding  counsels  emphatically 
enjoined  ;  and  in  her  traveling  costume  of  possibly  a  plain  blue  and 
white  gown,  the  product  of  her  own  industry,  she  was  as  lovely 
in  her  sturdy  husband's  eye  as  the  daintiest  of  modern  brides  can 
ever  hope  to  be.  Indeed,  her  fresh,  glowing  cheeks,  and  plump, 
elastic  form  might  well  strike  envy  to  the  heart  of  many  a  modern 
7 


COLONIAL    LIFE. 


A   WEDDING  JOURNEY. 


belle.  Notwithstanding  the  general  simplicity  of  dress,  however, 
in  the  early  colonial  times,  great  public  days  called  out  many  an 
elegant  costume.  The  rich  articles  of  apparel  brought  over  by 
the  higher  class 
of  emigrants 
were  carefully 
preserved,  and 
lace  ruffles,  elab 
orate  embroid 
ery,  silk  and  vel 
vet  caps,  and 
gold  and  silver 
shoe  and  knee 
buckles,  made  a 

gathering  of  wealthy  colonists  a 
much  gayer  affair  than  a  black-coat 
ed  party  of  to-day.  Tightly-fitting 
small-clothes  and  high  hose,  a  coat 
extending  to  the  knees  and  fastened 
in  front  with  buttons,  clasps,  or  hooks 
and  eyes,  its  full  skirts  stiffened  with  buckram  and  the  habit  itself 
profusely  decorated  with  gold  lace,  a  plaited  stock  of  fine  linen 
cambric  with  a  large  silver  buckle  at  the  back  of  the  neck,  a 
broad-brimmed,  high-crowned,  sugar-loaf  hat,  beneath  which  fell 
the  long,  luxuriant  curls  of  the  bleached  or  powdered  wig,  and  a 
fashionable  red  cloak,  gave  to  the  dignified  New  England  father 
an  air  of  unquestionable  gentility.  The  skins  of  animals  were  much 
used  for  garments.  In  the  inventory  of  a  wealthy  Connecticut 
settler,  who  died  in  1649,  are  enumerated  "  two  raccoon  coats,  one 
wolf-skin  coat,  four  bear-skins,  three  moose."  Sheep  and  deer 
skins  did  like  service.  The  small-clothes  usually  fitted  quite 
closely  to  the  person,  and  "  those  men  were  thought  very  fortu 
nate  whose  forms  were  such  that  they  could  wear  small-clothes 
above  the  hips  without  appurtenances,  and  stockings  above  the 
calf  of  the  leg  without  garters."  The  well-to-do  matrons  carried 
their  long-trailed  gowns,  "  liberally  set  off  with  flounces  and  fur 
belows,"  gracefully  over  one  arm,  or  had  them  "trolloped"  in 
loops  at  the  side,  or  let  them  sweep  their  full  course — "  from  half 
a  yard  to  a  yard  and  a  half" — along  the  floor.  If  in  this  they 
transgressed  the  statute  which  forbade  any  excess  "  beyond  the 
necessary  end  of  apparell  for  covering,"  some  of  them  evidently 


NEW  ENGLAND  IN  THE  SEVENTEENTH  CENTURY.      99 

fulfilled  its  requirements  in  the  upper  cut  of  their  robes,  for  before 
the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  we  hear  Boston  denounced  as 
a  "  lost  town,"  because  of  its  "  strange  and  fantastick  fashions  and 
attire,  naked  backs  and  bare  breasts."  Not  to  be  behind  the 
sugar-loaf  appendages  which  brought  their  husbands  up  in  the 
world,  the  ladies  appeared  in  towering  head-dresses  of  crape, 
muslin,  or  lace.  The  distinctions  in  dress  between  the  higher 
and  lower  ranks  of  society  which  marked  the  old  country  were 
jealously  guarded  here.  But  American  air  from  the  first  seems 
to  have  been  charged  with  independence,  so  that  all  who  touched 
our  shores  felt  more  or  less  the  influence  of  the  electric  current. 
The  spirit  of  equal  rights,  born  in  the  untamed  forest  and  undis 
turbed  for  centuries,  refused  to  be  banished  its  native  haunts.  It 
was,  perhaps,  as  much  an  innocent  ambition  to  rise  in  society  as  a 
mere  love  of  finery  which  tempted  the  common  people  to  ape  the 
dress  and  condition  of  their  betters  in  station.  Before  a  score  of 
years  had  passed,  this  tendency  had  become  a  source  of  anxiety  to 
the  careful  colonial  legislators.  In  1640,  it  was  ordered  that  as 
"  divers  Persons  of  severall  Ranks  are  obsearved  still  to  exceede  " 
in  their  apparel,  "  the  Constables  of  every  towne  within  there 
Libertyes  shall  observe  and  take  notice  of  any  particular  Person 
or  Persons  within  thier  several  Lymits,  and  all  such  as  they  judge 
to  exceede  thier  condition  and  Rank  therein,  they  shall  present 
and  warn  to  appear  at  the  particular  Court."  Among  the  pro 
scribed  articles  appear  "embroidered  and  needle -work  caps," 
"gold  and  silver  girdles,"  "immoderate  great  sleeves,"  and 
"  slashed  apparel."  Rev.  Nathaniel  Ward,  author  of  the  "  Body 
of  Liberties,"  which  was  adopted  (1641)  as  the  code  of  laws  for 
Massachusetts,  and  substantially  for  Connecticut,  was  sorely  tried 
by  the  "female  foppery"  of  the  time.  In  a  book  entitled  "The 
Simple  Cobler  of  Agawam,  in  America,  Willing  to  help  Mend 
his  Native  Country,  lamentably  tattered,  both  in  the  Upper- 
leather  and  the  Sole,"  etc.,  illustrative  of  colonial  life  and  man 
ners,  he  thus  breaks  forth :  "  I  honour  the  woman  that  can  honour 
herselfe  with  her  attire ;  a  good  text  alwayes  deserves  a  fair  mar- 
gent  ;  I  am  not  much  offended  if  I  see  a  trimme,  far  trimmer  than 
she  that  wears  it ;  in  a  word,  whatever  Christianity  or  Civility 
will  allow,  I  can  afford  with  London  measure ;  but  when  I  heare  a 
nugiperous  gentle  dame  inquire  what  dresse  the  Queen  is  in  this 
week ;  what  the  nudiustertian  fashion  of  the  Court ;  I  meane  the 
very  newest ;  with  egge  to  be  in  it  in  all  haste,  whatever  it  be ;  I 


100  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

look  at  her  as  the  very  gizzard  of  a  trifle,  the  product  of  a  quarter 
of  a  cipher,  the  epitome  of  nothing,  fitter  to  be  kickt,  if  she  were 
of  a  kickable  substance,  than  either  honour'd  or  humour'd.  To 
speak  moderately,  I  truly  confesse,  it  is  beyond  the  ken  of  my 
understanding  to  conceive  how  those  women  should  have  any 
true  grace,  or  valuable  vertue,  that  have  so  little  wit  as  to  dis 
figure  themselves  with  such  exotick  garbes,  as  not  only  dismantles 
their  native  lovely  lustre,  but  transclouts  them  into  gant  bargeese 
ill-shapen — shotten — shell-fish,  Egyptian  Hyeroglyphicks,  or  at 
the  best  into  French  flurts  of  the  pastery,  which  a  proper  English 
woman  should  scorne  with  her  heels ;  it  is  no  marvell  they  weare 
drailes  on  the  hinder  part  of  their  heads,  having  nothing  as  it 
seems  in  the  fore  part,  but  a  few  squirrils'  brains  to  help  them 
frisk  from  one  ill-favored  fashion  to  another."  The  evil  seems 
not  to  have  been  remedied  in  1676,  for  we  find  that  still  the 
"  rising  Generation  "  was  "  in  danger  to  be  corrupted  "  by  an  ex 
cess  in  apparel,  which  is  "  testifyed  against  in  God's  holy  Word," 
and  it  was  therefore  ordered  that  "  what  person  soever  shall  wear 
Gold  or  Silver  Lace,  or  Gold  or  Silver  Buttons,  Silk  Ribbons,  or 
other  costly  superfluous  trimmings,  or  any  bone  Lace  above  three 
shillings  per  yard,  or  Silk  Scarfes,"  should  pay  equal  taxes  with 
those  whose  rank  or  fortune  allowed  such  privileges.  The  families 
of  public  and  military  officers,  and  "such  whose  quality  and  estate 
have  been  above  the  ordinary  degree,  though  now  decayed,"  were 
excepted  from  this  decree.  These  good  old  fathers  even  went 
further  in  their  restrictions :  "  It  is  further  ordered  that  all  such 
persons  as  shall  for  the  future  make,  or  weave,  or  buy  any  apparell 
exceeding  the  quality  and  condition  of  their  persons  and  Estates,  or 
that  is  apparently  beyond  the  necessary  end  of  apparell  for  cover 
ing  or  comeliness,  either  of  these  to  be  Judged  by  the  Grand  Jury 
and  County  Court  where  such  presentments  are  made,  shall  for 
feit  for  every  such  offence  ten  shillings." 

These  sumptuary  laws  were  not  a  dead  letter,  for  we  hear  that 
Alice  Flynt's  "  silk  hood  "  was  cited  before  the  court,  and  she  re 
quired  to  prove  that  she  was  entitled  to  wear  it  by  her  property 
of  two  hundred  pounds;  and  of  the  "great  boots"  of  Jonas  Fair 
banks,  out  of  the  shadow  of  whose  guilt  he  managed  to  escape. 

The  price  of  wages  was  also  regulated  by  law,  and  it  was  settled 
(1641)  that  "  carpenters,  plowrights,  wheelrights,  masons,  joyners, 
smithes,  and  coopers  shall  not  take  above  twenty  pence  for  a  day's 
work  from  the  loth  of  March  to  the  loth  of  October,  and  not 


THE  DUTCH  IN  NEW  YORK.  IOI 

above  eighteen  pence  a  day  for  the  other  part  of  the  yere,  and  to 
work  ten  hours  in  the  day  in  the  summer  tyme,  besides  that  which 
is  spent  in  eating  or  sleeping,  and  six  hours  in  the  winter."  The 
court,  however,  soon  "  found  by  experience  that  it  would  not  avail 
by  any  law  to  redress  the  excessive  rates  of  laborers'  and  work 
men's  wages,  etc. ;  for,  being  restrained,  they  would  either  remove 
to  other  places  where  they  might  have  more,  or  else,  being  able 
to  live  by  planting  and  other  employments  of  their  own,  they 
would  not  be  hired  at  all." — (Winthrop.) 


THE     DUTCH     IN    J^EW    YORK. 

The  followers  of  Hendrick  Hudson  were  quite  a  different 
people.  To  the  bustling  energy  and  severe  religious  laws  of 
New  England  they  opposed  an  easy  good  nature  and  impertur 
bable  content.  Only  in  the  painfulness  of  extreme  neatness  did 
they  resemble  and  even  surpass  their  northern  and  eastern 
neighbors.  Let  us  recall  a  comfortable  Dutch  mansion  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  Its  gable-end  of  small  black  and  yellow 
Dutch  bricks,  receding  in  regular  steps  from  the  base  of  the  roof 
to  the  summit,  and  there  crowned  with  a  "  fierce  little  weather 
cock,"  stood  squarely  to  the  street.  Not  ashamed  to  let  its  age 
be  known,  it  was  proclaimed  in  straggling  iron  figures  upon  the 
front.  The  inevitable  porch,  elevated  by  a  few  steps,  was  covered 
by  a  wooden  awning,  or  perhaps  a  lattice-work,  over  which 
luxuriantly  drooped  and  wandered  a  wild  grape-vine.  Multi 
tudes  of  wrens  flitted  in  and  out  this  sylvan  nook,  and,  says  a 
Scotch  lady,  reporting  Albany  life  at  this  period,  "  while  break 
fasting  or  drinking  tea  in  the  airy  portico,  birds  were  constantly 
gliding  over  the  table  with  a  butterfly,  grasshopper,  or  cicada  in 
their  bills  to  feed  their  young,  who  were  chirping  above."  These 
porches  were  the  universal  rendezvous  in  the  after-part  of  the 
day.  The  old  people  clustered  together  in  one,  the  younger  in 
another,  and  the  children  sat  placidly  on  the  steps  and  ate  their 
bread  and  milk  before  retiring  ;  while  the  beaux  sauntered  along 
and  cast  shy  glances  toward  their  favorite  maidens,  or  accepted 
an  invitation  to  join  the  little  group.  The  gutters  on  the  roofs 
often  stretched  almost  to  the  middle  of  the  street,  to  the  great 


IO2 


COLONIAL    LIFE. 


annoyance  of  passers-by.  The  front  door,  opened  only  on  rare 
occasions,  was  ornamented  with  a  gorgeous  brass  knocker, 
wrought  in  a  curious  animal  device.  This  was  the  pride  of  the 
housewife,  and  was  burnished  daily  with  intense  solicitude.  A 
wide  passage  extended  through  the  house,  with  doors  at  either 
end  ;  this,  furnished  with  chairs  and  having  always  a  scrupulously 


DUTCH   MANSION  AND   COTTAGE   IN   NEW  AMSTERDAM. 


white  sanded  floor,  served  for  a  summer  parlor.  Aside  from  this 
reception-hall,  there  were  but  two  large  rooms  on  the  first  floor, 
with  light,  ample  closets  adjoining.  On  account  of  the  difficulty 
of  warming  these,  and  to  save  the  best  furniture  from  the  dust 
and  smoke  of  huge  wood  fires,  the  family  usually  retired  in  the 
winter  to  a  small  addition  in  the  rear,  consisting  of  one  or  two 
rooms  above  and  below.  This  was  built  of  wood,  as  indeed  was 
ordinarily  the  whole  house,  except  the  pretentious  gable  front. 
While  the  Connecticut  mistress  spun,  wove,  and  stored  her 
household  linens  in  crowded  chests,  the  Dutch  matron  scrubbed 
and  scoured  her  polished  floor  and  woodwork.  Dirt  in  no  form 
could  be  endured  bv  her ;  and  dear  as  water  was  in  the  city, 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    DUTCH.  103 

where  it  was  generally  sold  at  a  penny  a  gallon,  it  was  used 
unsparingly.  Fine  furniture  was  the  good  housewife's  weakness. 
Ponderous  tables,  drawers  resplendent  with  brass  ornaments, 
quaint  corner  cupboards,  beds  and  bedsteads,  and  even  the 
frying-pan  and  immense  Dutch  oven  had  her  most  loving  regards. 
"  The  mirrors,  the  paintings,  the  china,  but,  above  all,  the  state 
bed,"  records  the  author  above  mentioned,  "  were  considered  as 
the  family  seraphim,  secretly  worshipped  and  only  exhibited  on 
very  rare  occasions."  "  The  grand  parlor,"  says  Washington 
Irving,  "  was  the  sanctum  sanctorum  where  the  passion  for 
cleaning  was  indulged  without  control.  In  this  sacred  apartment 
no  one  was  permitted  to  enter  excepting  the  mistress  and  her 
confidential  maid,  who  visited  it  once  a  week  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  it  a  thorough  cleaning  and  putting  things  to  rights — 
always  taking  the  precaution  of  leaving  their  shoes  at  the  door 
and  entering  devoutly  on  their  stocking  feet.  After  scrubbing 
the  floor,  sprinkling  it  with  fine  white  sand,  which  was  curiously 
stroked  into  angles,  and  curves,  and  rhomboids  with  a  broom — 
after  washing  the  windows,  rubbing  and  polishing  the  furniture, 
and  putting  a  new  bunch  of  evergreens  in  the  fireplace,  the  win 
dow-shutters  were  again  closed  to  keep  out  the  flies,  and  the 
room  carefully  locked  up  until  the  revolution  of  time  brought 
round  the  weekly  cleaning  day." 

In  the  early  spring  the  good  vrow  donned  her  green  calash, 
took  her  rake  over  her  shoulder,  and  with  her  little  painted 
basket  of  seeds  went  out  to  make  the  family  garden.  Myn 
heer  was  much  too  clumsy  to  be  trusted  in  the  delicate  care  of 
salads  and  sweet  herbs,  celery  or  asparagus ;  cabbages  and 
potatoes  and  such  like  he  cultivated  in  the  field  between  the  rows 
of  Indian  corn,  but  into  the  little  spot  sacred  to  the  tenderer 
plants,  no  foot  of  man  intruded,  after  it  was  dug  in  spring.  The 
stakes  to  the  simple  deal  fence,  which  enclosed  the  garden  and 
the  orchard,  were  oddly  ornamented  with  skeleton  heads  of 
cattle  and  of  horses ;  the  jaws  being  fixed  on  the  pole,  with  the 
skull  uppermost.  Samson's  riddle  here  received  a  daily  exempli 
fication,  for  the  birds  built  their  nests  therein  and  sent  forth 
broods  of  young  ones  from  the  ghastly  orifice.  In  clearing  the 
way  for  the  first  establishment,  a  tree  was  always  left  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  back  yard  for  the  sole  benefit  of  these  little  songsters ; 
this  tree  being  pollarded  at  midsummer  when  full  of  sap,  every 
excised  branch  left  a  little  hollow,  and  every  hollow  was  the  home 


104  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

of  a  bird.  It  was  also  a  custom  to  leave  an  ancient  tree,  or  to 
plant  one  of  some  kind  directly  in  front  of  the  doorway,  which 
the  household  regarded  with  great  veneration. 

Every  family  had  a  cow,  fed  through  the  day  in  a  common 
pasture  at  the  end  of  the  town.  They  came  at  night  and  went  in 
the  morning  of  their  own  accord,  like  proper  adjuncts  to  sedate 
and  systematic  households,  and  their  tinkling  bells  never  failed  to 
warn  of  their  approach  along  the  grassy  streets  when  the  proper 
hour  for  milking  arrived.  Being  allowed,  however,  to  roam  the 
town  from  evening  to  morning  milking,  they,  by  no  means, 
improved  the  neatness  of  the  highways,  which  presented  a 
strange  contrast  in  that  respect  to  the  immaculate  interiors  of  the 
houses.  On  dark  nights  housekeepers  were  required  to  keep 
lights — tallow  candles — in  their  front  windows,  and  "every 
seventh  householder  "  was  obliged  to  "  hang  out  a  lanthorn  and 
candle  on  a  pole." 

The  happy  burghers  breakfasted  at  dawn,  dined  at  eleven,  and 
retired  at  sunset.  No  change  was  ever  made  in  the  arrangements 
for  the  family  dinner  in  favor  of  a  guest,  and  the  unexpected 
visitor  was  received  at  that  meal  with  unmistakable  signs  of 
coldness  and  disfavor.  A  company  tea,  however,  was  a  "  perfect 
regale,"  and  cakes,  sweetmeats,  cold  pastry,  and  fruit  in  abundance 
garnished  a  table  which  also  often  tempted  by  a  fine  array  of 
roasted  game  or  poultry,  or,  in  its  season,  shell-fish.  Clams — 
called  clippers — was  a  favorite  food.  The  tea  was  served  from  a 
large  porcelain  tea-pot,  "  ornamented  with  paintings  of  fat  little 
shepherds  and  shepherdesses  tending  pigs,  with  boats  sailing  in 
the  air  and  houses  built  in  the  clouds  " — a  cherished  souvenir  of 
Delft  in  the  dear  mother-country.  The  decoction  was  taken 
without  milk,  but  a  lump  of  sugar  was  placed  beside  each  cup, 
the  company  alternately  nibbling  and  sipping  according  to  indi 
vidual  relish.  Another  custom  was  to  suspend  an  immense  lump 
of  sugar  by  a  string  from  the  ceiling  directly  overhead,  so  that  it 
could  be  swung  from  mouth  to  mouth  and  prevent  unnecessary 
waste.  Irving  has  so  inimitably  portrayed  a  "  fashionable  tea- 
party  "  of  those  days  that  it  were  a  pity  not  to  recall  it  here. 
"  These  fashionable  parties  were  generally  confined  to  the  higher 
classes,  that  is  to  say,  those  who  kept  their  own  cows  and  drove 
their  own  wagons.  The  company  commonly  assembled  at  three 
o'clock,  and  went  away  about  six,  unless  it  was  winter  time,  when 
the  fashionable  hours  were  a  little  earlier,  that  the  ladies  might 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    DUTCH.  105 

get  home  before  dark.  The  tea-table  was  crowned  with  a  huge 
earthen  dish,  well  stored  with  slices  of  fat  pork,  fried  brown,  cut 
up  into  morsels,  and  swimming  in  gravy.  Sometimes  the  table 
was  graced  with  immense  apple  pies,  or  saucers  full  of  preserved 
peaches  and  pears ;  but  it  was  always  sure  to  boast  an  enormous 
dish  of  doughnuts  or  olykoeks.  At  these  decorous  gatherings  the 
young  ladies  seated  themselves  demurely  in  their  rush-bottomed 
chairs,  and  knit  their  own  woolen  stockings  ;  nor  ever  opened 
their  lips  except  to  say,  Yah  Mynheer,  or,  Yah  ya  Vrouw,  to  any 
question  that  was  asked  them.  As  to  the  gentlemen,  each  of 
them  tranquilly  smoked  his  pipe,  and  seemed  lost  in  contempla 
tion  of  the  blue  and  white  tiles  with  which  the  fireplaces  were 
decorated ;  wherein  sundry  passages  of  Scripture  were  piously 
portrayed.  Tobit  and  his  dog  figured  to  great  advantage ; 
Haman  swung  conspicuously  on  his  gibbet,  and  Jonah  appeared 
most  manfully  bouncing  out  of  the  whale."  A  silent  grace  before 
meat  was  the  usual  habit  with  the  Hollanders.  Mush  or  bread 
with  buttermilk,  "  and  if  to  that  they  added  sugar,  it  was  thought 
delicious,"  constituted  the  standard  family  supper.  On  occasion 
of  Dutch  dances,  a  pot  of  chocolate  and  some  bread  were  deemed 
sufficient  refreshment.  New  Year's  Day  was  the  one  of  all  the 
year  for  gayety  and  festivity.  Our  delightful  fashion  of  New 
Year's  calls  is  an  inheritance  from  the  Hollanders,  who  were  also 
accustomed  to  exchange  presents  and  other  complimentary  tokens 
on  that  day.  General  Washington,  speaking  of  this  usage,  once 
remarked :  "  New  York  will  in  process  of  years  gradually  change 
its  ancient  customs  and  manners  ;  but  whatever  changes  take 
place,  never  forget  the  cordial  observance  of  New  Year's  Day." 
To  the  Dutch  also  we  owe  our  Christmas  visit  of  Santa  Claus, 
colored  eggs  at  Easter,  doughnuts,  crullers,  and  New  Year's 
cookies. 

A  Dutch  belle  of  the  seventeenth  century  wore  her  hair 
smoothly  plastered  back  with  suet  tallow,  under  a  quilted  cap. 
Her  gayly-striped  linsey-woolsey  petticoat — or  rather  petticoats, 
for  her  fortune  was  estimated  by  the  number  of  garments  she 
wore — came  a  little  below  the  knee,  affording  an  admirable  view 
of  her  blue  worsted  stockings,  adorned  with  bright  red  clocks, 
and  her  high-heeled,  silver-buckled  leather  shoes.  From  her 
girdle  depended  her  huge  patch-work  pocket,  her  scissors  and 
her  pincushion,  potent  charms,  or  possibly  coquetries  of  the 
times,  which  did  not  fail  to  touch  the  tender  part  of  Mynheer's 


io6 


COLONIAL    LIFE. 


nature  when,  between  his  puffs,  he  settled  the  question  of  a  com 
petent  vrow.  The  work-basket  always  accompanied  her  on  picnic 
excursions,  and  while  "  the  boys "  fished  or  hunted  to  procure 

game  for  the  coming 
supper,  the  girls  con 
soled  themselves  for 
their  absence  in  knit 
ting  or  sewing.  The 
walls  of  the  "  spare 
room "  in  a  Dutch 
home  were  not  in 
frequently  covered 
with  extra  homespun 
garments,  a  rather 
unique  decoration, 
but  an  honest  certifi 
cate  of  the  industry, 
and  considered  as  a 
sign  of  the  wealth, 
of  the  household. 
As  to  Mynheer  him 
self,  the  number  of 
his  breeches  or  galli 
gaskins  rivalled  those 
of  his  fair  one's  petti 
coats,  and  unneces 
sarily  heightened  the 

proportions  of  his  rotund  figure.  His  linsey-woolsey  coat — doubly 
precious  when  spun  and  woven  by  the  fair  maid  of  his  choice,  as 
often  it  was,  for  love-gifts  were  substantial  then — was  profusely 
adorned  with  large  brass  buttons  ;  enormous  copper  buckles  set 
off  his  unquestionably  broad  understanding  ;  a  low-crowned,  wide- 
brimmed  hat  shadowed  his  phlegmatic  countenance,  and  his  hair 
dangled  down  his  back  in  a  prodigious  queue  of  eelskin.  His  pipe 
was  an  indispensable  adjunct  to  his  mouth. 

The  young  Albanian  had  a  custom  of  proving  his  worth  to  his 
lady-love  by  pushing,  with  a  cargo  of  blankets,  guns,  beads,  and 
various  articles  packed  in  a  light  canoe,  into  the  deep  forest, 
attended  only  by  a  faithful  slave,  and  establishing  trade  with  the 
Indians.  If  he  succeeded  well,  he  enlarged  his  business  and 
followed  it  through  life,  or  disposing  of  his  schooner — which  it 


DUTCH    COURTSHIP. 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    DUTCH.  IO/ 

was  his  pride  to  own  before  he  settled  down — embraced  less 
exciting  mercantile  or  agricultural  pursuits.  The  usual  dower  of 
a  daughter  was  a  well-brought-up  female  slave  and  the  furniture 
of  the  best  bed-chamber.  There  were  two  standard  amusements 
among  young  people — sliding  down  hill  in  winter,  and  pillaging 
pigs  and  turkeys  from  a  neighbor's  garden.  This  was  con 
sidered  frolic,  not  theft,  though  the  owner — if  he  failed  to  over 
take  and  chastise  the  robbers,  which  was  his  token  of  gallantry — 
never  saw  his  property  again.  The  married  man  shut  himself 
out  from  these  sports,  as  unbefitting  his  dignity,  but  the  bride 
groom  was  sure  to  receive  such  a  visit  from  some  of  his  old  com 
panions.  A  story  is  told  of  two  parties  out  one  night  on  the 
same  business.  Both  attacked  the  same  place.  The  chief  of  the 
second  party,  finding  the  game  gone,  suspected  the  other,  and 
followed  it  to  an  inn,  where  he  found  the  coveted  pig  roasting 
before  the  fire.  Sending  the  maid  out  on  a  trivial  excuse,  he  cut 
the  string  by  which  the  pig  was  suspended,  and  laying  it  in  the 
dripping-pan,  carried  it  swiftly  through  the  dark  and  quiet  streets 
to  another  inn,  where  his  companions  were  awaiting  him.  The 
first  party,  not  to  be  outdone,  and  rightly  guessing  the  offenders, 
sent  a  messenger  to  the  other  inn,  where  supper  and  "  the  pig" 
had  just  been  served.  Throwing  a  huge  parcel  of  shavings 
before  the  door,  he  touched  a  match  to  them,  and  crying  "  frre  " 
with  all  his  might,  soon  drew  every  occupant  to  the  front.  Steal 
ing  in  the  back  way,  he  secured  the  traveled  treasure,  and  rushing 
back  to  his  friends,  they  feasted  on  the  spoils.  Strawberries 
abounded  in  June,  when  "  the  country  people,  perceiving  that  the 
fields  and  woods  were  dyed  red,  would  go  forth  with  wine, 
cream,  and  sugar  ;  and  instead  of  a  coat  of  mail,  every  one  takes 
up  a  female  behind  him  on  horseback,  and  starting  for  the  fields, 
set  to  picking  the  fruit  and  regaling  themselves  as  long  as  they 
list." 

Our  Dutch  friends  seem  to  have  regarded  offences  of  the 
tongue  with  as  little  favor  as  the  Puritans,  though  their  punish 
ments  were  milder.  In  1638,  one  Hendrick  Jansen  is  made  to 
stand  at  the  fort  door  at  the  ringing  of  the  bell,  and  ask  the  gov 
ernor's  pardon  for  having  "  scandalized  "  him.  This  same  Hen 
drick  Jansen,  evidently  an  over-officious  reformer,  preferred  a 
charge  against  the  minister's  wife  for  having  "  drawn  up  her  petti 
coat  a  little  way  in  the  street."  A  woman  who  had  the  temerity  to 
slander  the  minister  was  obliged  also  to  appear  at  the  fort  door, 


io8 


COLONIAL    LIFE. 


and  publicly  confess  that  "  she  knew  he  was  honest  and  pious,  and 
that  she  lied  falsely."  The  "  wooden  horse  "  was  a  peculiar  pun 
ishment.  It  had  a  very  sharp  back,  upon  which  the  offender  was 
tightly  strapped,  or  had  weights  tied  to  his  feet,  the  horse  being 
first  put  into  the  cart  body.  A  woman  was  the  first  who  received 
this  penalty,  and  the  instrument  was  named  after  her,  "  the  horse 
of  Mary  Price."  Culprits  were  sometimes  led  about  the  town 
fastened  to  the  back  of  the  cart,  being  whipped  as  they  went. 
These  customs  continued  as  late  as  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  as  witness  an  advertisement  from  the  New  York 
Gazette  of  March,  1750:  "  The  Public  Whipper  being  lately  dead, 
twenty  pounds  a  year  is  offered  to  a  successor  at  the  mayor's 
office."  This,  with  other  short  items,  is  printed  on  the  margin 
of  the  sheet,  in  a  transverse  direction  to  the  column  matter, 
another  instance  of  the  economy  of  the  early  New  Yorkers. 

The  Dutch  dominies  were  paid  sometimes  in  beaver-skins — 
the  dominie  of  Albany  at  one  time  received  one  hundred  and  fifty 
— and  sometimes  in  wampum  or  seawant,  a  kind  of  Indian  money 

consisting  of  strings  of  clam 
shells.  Its  current  value  was 
six  beads  of  the  white  or  three 
of  the  black  for  an  English 
penny.  In  1641,  the  New  York 
City  Council  complains  that  "  a 
great  deal  of  bad  seawant,  nasty, 
rough  things,  imported  from 
other  places,"  was  in  circula 
tion,  while  "  the  good,  splendid 
Manhattan  seawant  was  out  of 
sight  or  exported,  which  must 
cause  the  ruin  of  the  country." 
The  city  schoolmasters  of  those 
days  acted  also  as  clerks,  chor 
isters,  and  visitors  of  the  sick. 
The  names  of  those  old  Dutch 
dignitaries  sound  strangely 
enough  to  modern  ears.  There 
were  the  hoofd-schout  (high 

sheriff),  the  wees-meester  (guardian  of  orphans),  the  roy-meester 
(regulator  of  fences),  the  eyck-meester  (weigh-master),  the  geheim- 
schryver  (recorder  of  secrets),  and  the  groot  burgerrecht,  or  great 


YE   DUTCH    SCHOOLMASTER. 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    OF    THE    DUTCH.  1 09 

citizen,  in  opposition  to  the  klein  burgerrecht,  or  small  citizen. 
Only  the  "  great  citizens,"  of  whom  there  were  not  more  than  a 
score,  could  hold  offices,  and  in  1668,  the  number  being  so  small, 
and  many  inconveniences  arising  in  consequence,  the  distinction 
was  abolished. 

We  have  not  particularized  the  family  life  of  that  exceptional 
class,  the  "  patroons,"  who  occupied  a  position  not  unlike  that  of 
an  English  baron  with  feudal  retainers.  Their  social  customs 
were  simply  those  of  the  best  European  society  of  the  day. 
They,  themselves,  were  regarded  by  their  numerous  tenants  with 
a  certain  respect  and  reverence  which  has  had  no  counterpart 
since  the  Revolution.  Holmes  characterizes  this  feeling  and  the 
former  accepted  distinction  of  ranks,  in  his  poem  of  "  Agnes," 
where  a  gentlemen  of  the  olden  time  went  out  to  drive, 

"  And  all  the  midland  counties  through, 

The  ploughman  stopped  to  gaze,  /^\^  fy 

Where'er  his  chariot  swept  in  view  [{ 

Behind  the  shining  bays, 
With  mute  obeisance,  grave  and  slow,        V^      - 

Repaid  by  bow  polite—  OTll^ 

For  such  the  way  with  high  and  low^ 

Till  after  Concord's  fight" 

These  lords  of  the  manor  lived  in  a  princely  way  on  their  large 
estates,  which  passed  from  father  to  son  for  more  than  a  century. 
When  the  Revolution  broke  out,  many  of  them  declared  for  the 
king,  and  thus  their  lands  became  confiscated  and  their  names 
ceased  to  exist  in  the  ruling  offices  of  the  country.  Few,  indeed, 
in  our  democratic  day,  even  know  of  the  existence  in  those  times 
of  estates  whose  tenants  were  numbered  by  thousands,  the  gather 
ing  together  of  which  was  like  that  of  the  Scottish  clans.  When 
death  entered  the  family  of  the  proprietor,  they  all  came  to  do 
honor  at  the  funeral,  "  and  many  were  the  hogsheads  of  good  ale 
which  were  broached  for  them."  When  Philip  Livingston,  of 
Livingston  Manor,  died,  at  both  town  and  country  house  "  a  pipe 
of  wine  was  spiced  for  the  occasion,  and  to  each  of  the  eight 
bearers  a  pair  of  gloves,  mourning  ring,  scarf,  handkerchief,  and 
silver  monkey  spoon  were  given."  The  latter  was  so  named  from 
its  handle,  whose  extremity  was  in  the  form  of  an  ape.  Every 
tenant  also  received  a  pair  of  black  gloves  and  a  handkerchief. 
The  whole  expense  amounted  to  five  hundred  pounds.  In  later 
times  (1753)  Governor  William  Livingston  wrote  against  extrava- 


I  10  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

gance  in  funerals  ;  and  his  wife,  it  is  said,  was  the  first  one  who 
ventured,  as  an  example  of  economy,  to  substitute  linen  scarfs 
for  the  former  silk  ones. 

In  August,  1673,  a  Dutch  fleet  recaptured  New  York  from  the 
British,  and  held  it  one  year,  calling  it  meantime  New  Orange, 
after  the  Prince  of  Orange.  During  this  time  strict  military  dis 
cipline  prevailed.  "  The  Dutch  mayor,  at  the  head  of  the  city 
militia,  held  his  daily  parade  before  the  City  Hall  (Stadt  Huys), 
then  at  Coenties  Slip  ;  and  every  evening  at  sunset  he  received 
from  the  principal  guard  of  the  fort,  called  hoofd-wagt,  the  keys  of 
the  city,  and  thereupon  proceeded  with  a  guard  of  six  to  lock  the 
city  gates  ;  then  to  place  a  burger-wagt  (citizen  guard)  as  a  night- 
watch  at  various  places.  The  same  mayors  went  the  rounds  at 
sunrise  to  open  the  gates  and  to  restore  the  keys  to  the  officer  of 
the  fort."  The  comfort-loving  burgher  who  accepted  the  posi 
tion  of  mayor  in  those  days  paid  dearly  for  the  honor  in  the  loss 
of  his  leisurely  fireside  smoke  before  breakfast  in  the  morning. 
Mrs.  Sigourney  has  written  some  lines  upon  this  period,  which,  as 
a  picture  of  the  times,  we  copy  from  Watson's  "  Annals  of  New 
York,"  to  which  book,  and  those  equally  rich  and  spicy  volumes 
entitled  "  Annals  of  Philadelphia,"  by  the  same  author,  we  are  in 
debted  for  many  of  the  curious  facts  related  in  this  chapter.  The 
lines  run  thus: 


Lo,  with  the  sun,  came  forth  a  goodly  train, 
The  portly  mayor  with  his  full  guard  of  state. 

Hath  aught  of  evil  vexed  their  fair  domain, 
That  thus  its  limits  they  perambulate, 

With  heavy,  measured  steps,  and  brows  of  care, 

Counting  its  scattered  roofs  with  fixed,  portentous  stare? 

Behold  the  keys  with  solemn  pomp  restored 
To  one  in  warlike  costume  stoutly  braced, 

He,  of  yon  fort,  the  undisputed  lord. 

Deep  lines  of  thought  are  on  his  forehead  traced, 

As  though  of  Babylon  the  proud  command, 

Or  hundred-gated  Thebes  were  yielded  to  his  hand. 

See,  here  and  there,  the  buildings  cluster  round, 
All,  to  the  street,  their  cumbrous  gables  stretching, 

With  square-dipt  trees  and  snug  enclosures  bound 
(A  most  uncouth  material  for  sketching) — 

Each  with  its  stoop,  from  whose  sequestered  shade 

The  Dutchman's  evening  pipe  in  cloudy  volumes  played. 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    IN    THE    SOUTH.  Ill 

Oh,  had  those  ancient  dames  of  high  renown — 

The  Knickerbockers  and  the  Rapaeljes, 
With  high-heeled  shoes  and  ample  ten-fold  gown, 

Green  worsted  hose,  with  clocks  of  crimson  rays — 
Had  they,  thro'  time's  dim  vista,  stretched  their  gaze, 
Spying  their  daughters  fair  in  these  degenerate  days, 

With  muslin  robe  and  satin  slipper  white, 

Thronging  to  routs,  with  Fahrenheit  at  zero, 
Their  sylphlike  form,  for  household  toils  too  slight, 

But  yet  to  winter's  piercing  blast  a  hero, 
Here  had  they  marvelled  at  such  wondrous  lot, 
And  scrubbing  brush  and  broom  for  one  short  space  forgot. 

Yet  deem  them  not  for  ridicule  a  theme, 

Those  worthy  burghers  with  their  spouses  kind, 
Scorning  of  heartless  pomp,  the  gilded  dream, 

To  deeds  of  peaceful  industry  inclined, 
In  hospitality  sincere  and  grave, 
Inflexible  in  truth,  in  simple  virtue  brave. 

Hail,  mighty  city  !  high  must  be  his  fame 

Who  round  thy  bounds,  at  sunrise,  now  should  walk  ; 

Still  wert  thou  lovely,  whatsoe'er  thy  name, 
New  Amsterdam,  New  Orange,  or  New  York, 

Whether  in  cradle  sleep  on  sea-weed  laid, 

Or  on  thine  island  throne,  in  queenly  power  arrayed. 


EAF(LY    COLONIAL   UfE    JN    THE    gOUTH. 

The  manners  of  the  Southerners  on  their  plantations  were 
quite  distinct  from  those  of  either  Puritan  or  Dutch.  The  first 
few  years  in  all  new  colonies  have  necessarily  a  certain  degree  of 
sameness.  An  enforced  rude  state  of  living  engenders  rude  and 
peculiar  laws.  Thus  we  find  decrees  in  Virginia  which  strongly 
smack  of  New  England  quaintness.  The  Established  Church  of 
England  was  guarded  with  as  jealous  strictness  in  the  South  as 
were  Puritan  principles  in  the  North ;  the  first  laws  of  both 
colonies  pertaining  to  religious  observances.  In  Virginia,  accord 
ing  to  the  regulations  of  1632,  a  room  or  house  in  every  planta 
tion  was  to  be  set  apart  for,  and  consecrated  to,  worship.  Ab 
sence  from  service  "  without  allowable  excuse  "  was  punished  with 
a  fine  of  a  pound  of  tobacco,  and  if  the  absence  continued  a  month, 
with  fifty  pounds.  There  are  rumors  of  other  penalties  in  earlier 


112  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

times,  such  as  being  tied  neck  and  heels  for  a  night,  and  serving  as 
a  slave  to  the  colony — a  week  for  the  first  offence,  a  month  for  the 
second,  and  a  year  and  a  day  for  the  third.  Certain  culprits  also 
are  mentioned  as  being  made  to  stand  in  church,  wrapped  in  a 
snowy  sheet  and  holding  a  white  wand,  like  guilty  ghosts  or 
transfixed  lepers ;  or  as  having  the  initial  letter  of  their  crime 
fastened  in  a  great,  bold  capital  upon  their  back  or  breast,  as  in 
New  England. 

Ministers  were  restrained  from  a  neglect  of  their  duties  by  a  fine 
of  half  their  salary  if  they  absented  themselves  for  two  months  ; 
losing  the  entire  salary  and  the  cure  itself  for  an  absence  of  double 
that  length  of  time.  The  salary  aforesaid  consisted  of  ten  pounds 
of  tobacco  and  a  bushel  of  corn — "  the  first-gathered  and  best" — 
from  every  male  over  sixteen,  with  marriage,  christening  and 
burial  fees.  In  the  earliest  days,  every  twentieth  calf,  pig,  and 
kid  in  the  parish  were  also  his  due.  The  clerical  liberty  was  fur 
ther  hedged  in  by  an  injunction  not  to  give  themselves  "  to 
excess  in  drinking  or  riot,  spending  their  time  idly  by  day  or 
night,  playing  at  cards,  dice,  or  other  unlawful  games ;  but  to 
read  or  hear  the  Holy  Scriptures,  or  to  employ  themselves  in 
other  honorable  studies  or  exercise,  bearing  in  mind  that  they 
ought  to  be  examples  to  the  people  to  live  well  and  Christianly.'^ 
On  the  other  hand,  "  he  who  disparaged  a  minister  without  proof, 
was  to  be  fined  five  hundred  pounds  of  tobacco,  and  to  beg  the 
minister's  pardon  publicly  before  the  congregation."  Drunken 
ness  was  fined  five  shillings,  and  every  oath  cost  one  shilling. 
Virginians  in  1674  are  thus  described  by  Bancroft :  "  The  genera 
tion  now  in  existence  were  chiefly  the  fruit  of  the  soil ;  they  were 
children  of  the  woods,  nurtured  in  the  freedom  of  the  wilderness, 
and  dwelling  in  lonely  cottages  scattered  along  the  streams.  No 
newspapers  entered  their  houses  ;  no  printing-press  furnished  them 
a  book.  They  had  no  recreations  but  such  as  nature  provides  in 
her  wilds ;  no  education  but  such  as  parents  in  the  desert  could 
give  their  offspring.  The  paths  were  bridleways  rather  than 
roads ;  and  the  highway  surveyors  aimed  at  nothing  more  than  to 
keep  them  clear  of  logs  and  fallen  trees.  Visits  were  made  in 
boats  or  on  horseback  through  the  forests;  and  the  Virginian,, 
traveling  with  his  pouch  of  tobacco  for  currency,  swam  the  rivers,, 
where  there  was  neither  ferry  nor  ford.  The  houses,  for  the 
most  part  of  one  story,  and  made  of  wood,  often  of  logs,  the 
windows  closed  by  convenient  shutters  for  want  of  glass,  were 


MANNERS    AND    CUSTOMS    IN    THE    SOUTH.  1 1 3. 

sprinkled  at  great  distances  on  both  sides  of  the  Chesapeake,  from 
the  Potomac  to  the  line  of  Carolina.  The  parish  was  of  such 
extent,  spreading  over  a  tract  which  a  day's  journey  could  not 
cross,  that  the  people  met  together  but  once  on  the  Lord's  day, 
and  sometimes  not  at  all ;  the  church,  rudely  built  in  some 
central  solitude,  was  seldom  visited  by  the  more  remote  families, 
and  was  liable  to  become  inaccessible  by  the  broken  limbs  from 
forest  trees,  or  the  wanton  growth  of  underwood  and  thickets." 

The  genial  atmosphere  of  the  "  sunny  South,"  so  unlike  the 
bleak  New  England  climate,  and  the  entirely  different  products 
of  the  two  soils,  each  requiring  its  own  peculiar  mode  of  culture, 
served  constantly  to  increase  the  dissimilarity  in  character  and 
manners  which  primarily  existed  between  the  northern  and  the 
southern  settlers.  The  large  plantations  of  the  latter  necessi 
tated  a  numerous  train  of  servants.  These,  supplied  at  first  by 
the  apprentices  brought  over  from  England,  were,  in  time,  super 
seded  by  negro  slaves. 

There  being  but  few  books  and  little  education  in  those  early 
times — only  a  few  families  being  able  to  send  their  sons  and  daugh 
ters  to  England  to  be  instructed — excitement  was  often  sought  in 
bull-baiting,  horse-racing,  fox-hunting,  and  cock-fighting.  These 
amusements,  looked  upon  with  horror  by  the  Puritans,  were  not 
considered  at  all  derogatory  to  the  southern  gentleman,  who- 
copied  his  sports  from  those  of  the  English  nobility  of  that  day. 
The  finest  of  horses  were  imported  from  the  mother  country,  at 
great  care  and  expense,  and  the  Virginian  planter  was  pardonably 
proud  of  his  well-stocked  stables. 

The  mode  of  originating  a  settlement,  or,  as  Dr.  Ramsay 
quaintly  styles  it,  "  breaking  ground  on  bare  creation,"  is  thus 
described  in  that  author's  History  of  South  Carolina.  The  par 
ties  migrate  from  the  earlier  settlements  usually  in  March,  or 
about  the  breaking  up  of  the  winter.  They  "  go  with  family  and 
plantation  utensils,  a  few  bushels  of  corn,  and  some  domestic 
animals.  After  fixing  on  a  site,  they  build  in  two  or  three  days  a 
cabin  with  logs,  cut  down  and  piled  one  upon  another  in  the  form 
of  a  square  or  a  parallelogram.  The  floor  is  of  earth  ;  the  roof  is 
sometimes  of  bark,  but  oftener  of  split  logs.  The  light  is  received 
through  the  door,  and  in  some  instances  through  a  window  of 
greased  paper,  or  the  bottom  of  a  broken  glass  bottle.  Shelter 
being  prepared,  their  next  care  is  to  provide  food.  The  large 
trees  are  girdled  and  the  underbrush  destroyed.  The  ground, 
8 


EARLY    AMERICAN    PLOW. 


114  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

thus  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  sun,  is  roughly  ploughed  or 
hoed,  and  so  favors  the  growth  of  the  seed  corn  that  in  ninety 

or  a  hundred  days  the 
ears  are  large  enough 
to  roast,  and  in  six  weeks 
more  the  grain  is  ripe. 
Meantime  the  settler 
lives  on  the  corn  he 
brought  with  him,  and 
on  game  and  fish.  His 

axe  and  gun  furnish  him  with  the  means  of  defence  against  In 
dians,  wild  beasts,  and  robbers.  Light  wood  or  the  heart  of  dry 
pine  logs  affords  a  cheap  substitute  for  candles.  The  surplus  of  his 
crop  may  be  bartered  for  homespun  garments,  or,  if  he  is  married, 
he  may  convert  the  wool  of  his  sheep  or  the  flax  or  cotton  of  his 
field  into  coarse  clothing  for  domestic  use.''  In  a  few  years  a 
frame  house  is  built,  floored,  and  shingled.  Other  grains  besides 
corn  are  cultivated.  Fruits  and  vegetables  supply  his  table.  He 
purchases  one  or  two  slaves.  He  builds  a  barn  and  other  out 
houses.  His  children  are  put  to  school.  He  becomes  a  member 
of  a  church.  Tea,  coffee,  and  sugar  are  found  on  his  table.  His 
house  is  glazed  and  decently  furnished.  His  stock  is  enlarged 
and  made  to  further  serve  the  interests  of  his  family.  The  woods 
are  ransacked  for  dye-stuffs,  in  which  Carolina  abounds,  and  the 
homespun  adds  brilliancy  to  durability.  In  short,  he  has  be 
come  an  independent  man  and  respected  citizen. 

Emigrants  from  Maine  and  Vermont  often  struck  into  the 
then  far  west,  along  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela  or  even  of  the 
Ohio.  We  now  speak  of  a  time  as  late  as  just  before  the  Revolu 
tion.  Having  established  the  "  tomahawk  right  "  by  hacking  the 
trees  around  the  circuit — four  hundred  acres — to  which  settlement 
gave  them  free  possession,  they  commenced  pioneer  life.  Wild 
turkeys,  venison,  and  bears'  meat  gave  them  strength  while  they 
waited  the  growth  of  pumpkins,  squashes,  and  potatoes.  A  hom 
iny  block  was  hollowed  out  by  fire,  and  the  corn  was  pounded  by 
a  pestle ;  sometimes,  to  lessen  the  toil,  by  a  sweep  sixteen  feet  long. 
Nail-holes  in  a  piece  of  tin  formed  a  grater  for  the  same  purpose ; 
two  stones  were  also  used,  made  to  play  upon  each  other  in  the 
manner  in  vogue  in  Palestine  since  before  the  days  when  our 
Saviour  spoke  of  "two  women  grinding  at  the  mill."  A  piece  of 
deerskin  stretched  over  a  hoop  and  pierced  with  hot  wire  made  a 


LATER    COLONIAL    TIMES.  115 

good  sifter  or  bolting  cloth.  A  large  trough  sunk  in  the  ground 
furnished  a  tan-vat  for  each  family.  Ashes  were  used  instead  of 
lime  to  unhair  the  skin ;  bears'  grease  or  hogs'  lard  served  for 
fish-oil,  and  soot  mixed  with  grease  was  an  efficient  blacking. 
The  bark  was  shaved  and  pounded.  Every  family  did  its  own 
shoe-making.  "  Shoe  packs  "  made  like  moccasins  of  single  pieces 
of  leather  often  answered  every  purpose.  The  women  spun  and 
wove  the  linsey-woolsey  for  the  family  clothing  and  fashioned 
every  garment. 


In  the  course  of  their  first  century,  the  rigor  of  Puritan  laws 
was  somewhat  softened.     After  the  witchcraft  terror  had  spent  its 
fury,  that  crime,  as  well  as  heresy  and  blasphemy,  disappeared 
from  the  statutes   as  capital   offences.      Here 
and  there,  by  the  side  of  lonely  cross-roads, 
the   wanderer   still    stumbled   over    heaps   of 
stones,  "  the  brand   of  infamy  "  under  which 
the  bones  of  the  unhappy  suicide  were  made 
to  rest ;  and  the  pillory,  the  stocks,  and  the 
whipping-post  had  by  no  means  become  obso 
lete  as  efficient  instruments  in  pointing  morals. 
But  branded  cheeks  and  foreheads  and  decapi 
tated  ears  were  rapidly  vanishing  from  sight 
as  a  means  of  stimulating  sluggard  religious 
consciences,  and  a  man  might  venture  now  on 
a  piece  of  mince-pie  at  Christmas  without  fear 
of   fine    or    punishment.      Crimes    committed 
by  slaves,  who  continued  to  be  held  in  New 
England  until  the  Revolution,  were  severely  punished,  and  as  late 
as  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  negroes  were  burned  at 
the  stake  for  such  crimes  as  murder  and  arson. 

Recreations  and  amusements,  which  in  the  first  stages  of 
pioneer  life  are  necessarily  few,  now  received  more  indulgence. 
"Popular  assemblies"  were  introduced  into  Boston  about  1740, 
and  although  at  first  severely  frowned  upon  by  "  all  ladies  of  pro 
priety,"  so  maintained  and  strengthened  their  hold  that  in  a  few 
years  a  handsome  hall  was  built  and  supported  by  the  lovers  of 


THE    PILLORY. 


Il6  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

"musick,  dancing,  and  other  polite  entertainments."  In  Litch- 
field,  Conn.,  in  1748,  when  a  violin  was  used  for  the  first  time  as 
an  accompaniment  to  the  "  light  fantastic  toe,"  we  learn  that  the 
pastime  was  enjoyed  by  "most  of.the  young  people,"  and,  further, 
that  "  the  whole  expense  did  not  exceed  one  dollar,  out  of  which 
the  fiddler  was  paid  !  "  Yet  we  are  told  that  fathers  and  mothers 
were  wont,  then  as  now,  to  shake  their  heads  gravely,  and  sorrow 
fully  bemoan  the  extravagance  of  youth  !  Verily,  in  those  times 
money  was  money.  Minuets  and  sometimes  country  dances 
belonged  to  polite  circles ;  "  among  the  lower  orders  hipsesaw 
was  everything,"  says  Watson  in  his  Annals  of  Philadelphia. 
About  the  same  time  of  the  assemblies  appeared  the  first  theatri 
cal  performance  in  Boston,  played  at  a  coffee-house — itself  a  new 
institution.  The  idea  was  so  repugnant  to  New  England  notions 
that  a  law  was  immediately  passed  which  banished  the  drama 
from  Massachusetts  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  thereafter. 

In  the  middle  and  southern  colonies,  out  of  the  Puritan  ele 
ment,  life  was  much  gayer.  To  the  frequent  balls  in  the  southern 
cities,  the  young  ladies  from  the  country,  where  the  roads  were 
rough,  used  to  ride  in  on  ponies,  attended  by  a  black  servant, 
"  with  their  hoops  and  full  dress  arranged  over  the  saddle  fore 
and  aft  like  lateen-sails  ;  and  after  dancing  all  night,  would  ride 
home  again  in  the  morning."  When  there  was  snow,  sleighing, 
with  a  dance  to  follow,  was  a  popular  pastime  with  the  young 
people,  but  early  hours  were  always  kept.  The  rough,  unpainted 
sleigh,  capable  of  carrying  thirty  persons,  was  expected  to  be  at 
the  door  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  gentlemen  were 
clothed  in  cocked-hats,  tied  under  the  chin  with  a  blue  cotton 
handkerchief,  leaving  the  queue  to  its  own  sweet  will,  a  large 
camlet  cloak,  and  oversocks  which  covered  the  shoes  and  reached 
to  the  small  clothes  at  the  knee.  Yarn  mittens  protected  the 
hands  and  a  woolen  tippet  the  throat.  The  ladies  were  wrapped 
in  linsey-woolsey  cardinals,  with  hoods  which  "  were  of  such  am 
ple  dimensions  that  their  heads  looked  like  so  many  beer-casks." 
The  jingle  of  one  or  two  cow-bells  accompanied  them.  Arrived 
at  the  place  of  entertainment,  the  colored  driver  timed  his 
three-stringed  fiddle,  the  gentlemen  appeared  in  their  square-toed 
pumps,  and  the  ladies  shook  off  their  pattens,  displaying  little 
peak-toed,  high-heeled  slippers.  They  danced  till  eight  o'clock, 
then  hurried  back  to  their  homes,  "  for,"  says  the  relator  of  this 
entertainment,  "  to  be  abroad  after  nine  o'clock  on  common  occa- 


LATER    COLONIAL    TIMES.  1 1/ 

sions  was  a  sure  sign  of  moral  depravity."  The  same  old  gentle 
man,  describing  in  1828  to  a  young  lady  the  courtship  and  wed 
ding  of  her  grandfather  in  New  York,  sixty  years  before,  gives 
us  the  following  picture :  "  The  lover,  after  having  received  per 
mission  of  her  parents,  pays  his  first  visit  to  his  beloved.  In  snuff- 
colored  coat  and  small-clothes,  cornelian  brooch,  paste  buckles, 
lace  frill-worked  cravat,  and  heavily  pomatumed  and  powdered 
hair,  he  is  ushered  into  the  family  presence.  On  one  side  of  the 
fireplace  sit  a  bevy  of  maiden  aunts,  knitting.  On  the  other  side 
is  the  father,  "  stretched  at  his  ease  in  an  arm-chair,  in  a  black  cap 
instead  of  his  wig,  wrapped  in  a  blue  gown,  with  his  breeches 
unbuttoned  at  his  knees,  quietly  smoking  his  pipe.  Mrs.  B.  in  a 
chintz  dress  and  mob-cap  was  at  his  side,  engaged  in  making 
patch-work ;  whilst  the  lovely  Prudence  sat  quite  erect  by  her 
mamma,  with  her  pincushion  and  housewife  dangling  from  her 
waist,  her  eyes  cast  down,  and  her  fingers  diligently  pricking 
themselves  instead  of  her  sampler."  The  young  man  shows  his 
affection  by  keeping  at  a  respectful  distance  from  his  sweetheart ; 
talks  politics  with  the  father,  assists  the  mother  in  arranging  her 
party-colored  squares,  picks  up  straying  balls  of  yarn  for  the  spin 
sters,  and  when  the  bell  rings  nine  gives  one  shy  glance  at  his 
beloved  and  takes  his  leave.  At  the  wedding  which  follows  a 
succession  of  visits  like  the  above,  the  guests  mostly  come  on 
foot,  for  there  are  no  hackney-coaches,  and  private  carriages  are 
not  plentiful.  The  father  of  the  bride  is  dressed  in  full-bottomed 
wig,  velvet  coat  and  breeches,  gold  buckles,  and  waistcoat  reach 
ing  to  the  knees  ;  the  mother  in  plain  brocade  and  snowy  cap  ;  the 
parson  in  "  gown,  cassock  and  bands,  with  a  wig  that  seemed  to 
consist  of  a  whole  unsheared  sheepskin — for  in  1768  it  would  have 
been  rank  heresy  for  a  parson  to  appear  at  a  wedding  in  simple 
black  coat  and  pantaloons."  The  bride  had  her  hair  dressed  over 
a  high  cushion  and  liberally  pomatumed  and  powdered.  The 
height  of  this  tower  was  over  a  foot,  and  on  its  summit  lay  a  single 
white  rose.  Her  tight-sleeved,  low-bodiced  white  satin  dress  was 
distended  at  the  ankles  by  an  ample  hoop,  beneath  which  crept  her 
high-heeled,  peaked  and  spangled  white  kid  shoes.  A  lace  hand 
kerchief  crossed  over  her  bosom  was  fastened  by  a  large  brooch 
containing  the  miniature  of  her  destined  husband.  The  groom 
had  his  hair  sleeked  back  and  highly  pomatumed,  with  the  queue 
so  stiff  that,  having  had  it  dressed  the  afternoon  before,  he  slept 
all  night  in  an  arm-chair,  that  it  might  not  be  disturbed.  "  His 


Il8  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

coat  was  of  a  sky-blue  silk  lined  with  yellow  ;  his  long-  vest  of 
white  satin,  embroidered  with  gold  lace ;  his  breeches  of  the  same 
material  and  tied  at  the  knee  with  pink  ribbon."  White  silk 
stockings  and  pumps,  lace  wrist-ruffles  and  frill,  the  latter  pinned 
with  the  miniature  of  his  bride,  completed  his  costume.  After 
the  ceremony  every  one  saluted  the  bride  with  a  hearty  kiss. 

From  this  marriage  in  comparatively  high  life,  let  us  invite 
ourselves  to  one  in  the  wilds  of  Pennsylvania.  The  parties  were 
hardy  pioneers.  A  wedding  was  to  them  a  frolic,  which  shared 
with  reaping,  log-rolling,  and  house-building  for  occasion  of  social 
gathering.  The  party  started  early  in  the  morning  from  the 
house  of  the  groom,  proceeding  in  double  file  on  horses  decked  in 
old  saddles,  old  bridles  or  halters,  and  pack-saddles,  with  a  bag  or 
blankets  thrown  over  them  ;  a  rope  or  string  served  for  a  girth. 
The  jovial  company  were  above  all  reproach  of  fashionable 
extravagance,  for  not  a  store,  tailor,  or  mantua-maker  existed 
within  a  hundred  miles.  Every  article  of  dress  was  home-made 
and  forced  to  do  the  longest  service  possible.  The  gents  appeared 
in  shoe-packs,  moccasins,  leather  breeches,  leggins,  and  linsey  hunt 
ing-shirts  ;  the  ladies  in  linsey  petticoats  and  linsey  or  linen  bed 
gowns,  coarse  shoes,  stockings,  handkerchiefs,  and,  if  any,  buck 
skin  gloves.  Fallen  trees,  interlocked  grape-vines  and  saplings — 
the  work  of  mischief-lovers,  friends  or  foes — often  delayed  their 
progress.  Sometimes  a  party  in  ambush  fired  a  feu  de  joie,  when 
the  ladies  shrieked,  screamed,  and  implored  help  in  finest  femi 
nine  style,  while  their  partners  bustled  around  and  offered  pro 
tection  as  valiantly  as  if  they  were  veritable  knights  in  full  steel 
armor  and  bound  to  do  battle  to  the  death  for  their  true  lady 
loves.  As  the  party  neared  the  house  of  the  bride,  two  of  the 
most  chivalrous  young  men,  with  an  Indian  yell,  set  out  full  tilt 
for  the  bottle  of  whiskey  which  was  hung  out  for  the  first  arrival. 
Over  logs,  brush,  and  muddy  hollows,  in  a  flush  of  pride  and  dar 
ing,  they  galloped  on  their  large-boned,  clumsy-footed  steeds  to 
the  end  of  the  goal.  The  prize  won,  they  returned  to  the  party, 
giving  the  first  drink  to  the  groom,  who  passed  the  bottle  around  ; 
every  one,  ladies  included,  joining  in  the  dram.  The  ceremony 
over,  dinner  was  in  order.  The  table,  made  of  a  large  slab  of 
timber  hewn  out  with  a  broad-axe  and  set  on  four  sticks,  was 
spread  with  beef,  pork,  fowls,  and  sometimes  deer  and  bear  meat. 
Wooden  bowls  and  trenchers,  a  few  pewter  dishes  and  plates,  some 
horn  and  some  pewter  spoons,  served  the  company  as  well  as 


LATER    COLONIAL    TIMES.  119 

could  china  or  silver.  If  knives  were  scarce,  they  carried  always 
a  substitute  in  the  belts  of  their  hunting-shirts.  "  After  dinner 
dancing  commenced,  and  usually  lasted  till  the  next  morning. 
The  figures  were  reels,  or  square  sets  and  jigs.  The  commence 
ment  was  always  a  square  four,  which  was  followed  by  what 
was  called  jigging  it  off;  none  were  allowed  to  steal  away  to 
get  a  sleep,  and  if  girls  got  tired,  they  were  expected,  for  want 
of  chairs,  to  sit  upon  the  knees  of  the  gentlemen.  At  nine  or  ten 
o'clock  at  night  some  of  the  young  ladies  would  steal  off  with  the 
bride.  That  was  sometimes  to  a  loft  above  the  dancers,  going 
there  by  a  ladder ;  and  such  a  bride's  chamber  was  floored  with 


THE    OLD-TIME    FIRESIDE. 


clapboards,  lying  loose  and  without  nails.  Some  young  men,  in 
the  meantime,  stole  off  the  groom  to  his  bride.  At  a  later  period, 
they  sent  them  up  refreshments,  of  which  '  black  Betty,'  so  called, 
was  an  essential  part,  as  she  stood  in  their  parlance  for  a  bottle  of 
whiskey."  These  entertainments  sometimes  lasted  several  days, 
or  until  every  one  was  "  fagged  out."  Happy  for  the  weary  set 
if,  when  they  were  ready  for  their  homeward  ride,  they  found 
their  property  uninjured,  for  slighted  neighbors  were  sometimes 
wont  to  show  their  stealthy  presence,  by  cutting  off  the  manes, 
foretops  or  tails  of  the  horses  belonging  to  invited  guests. 

The  prejudices  of  rank  and  social  precedence  brought  over 


120  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

from  England  did  not  easily  die  out,  even  in  New  England.  The 
official  dignities  there  were  all  monopolized  by  a  few  leading  fami 
lies,  descending  often  from  father  to  son.  And  as  office  now 
shared  with  wealth  and  high  English  connections — "  which  were 
to  be  proud  of" — in  giving  admission  to  the  charmed  circle  of  the 
gentry,  we  may  conclude  that  the  public  treasury  no  longer  fat 
tened  on  fines  wrung  from  contumacious  candidates.  Until 
within  three  years  of  the  time  when  "all  men"  were  declared  to 
be  "  created  free  and  equal"  the  catalogue  of  Harvard  College — 
Yale  had  just  abolished  the  system — was  arranged  according  to 
the  social  rank  of  the  students.  The  list,  made  out  each  year  and 
posted  in  the  buttery,  bore  perpetual  testimony  to  the  rule  of 
caste.  In  those  days  a  young  man's  title  to  a  superior  room,  or 
speedy  attention  at  table,  depended  on  the  date  of  his  father's 
commission  as  justice  of  the  peace  or  some  kindred  petty  sign  of 
social  degree.  We  can  afford  to  laugh  at  it  now  as  an  excellent 
burlesque  on  the  English  custom  of  ranking  by  pedigree,  but  it  was 
a  sore  reality  then,  as  many  an  unlucky  fellow  proved.  Fashion 
seems  also  to  have  invaded  that  scholastic  sanctum,  and  to  have 
divided  popular  attention  with  the  sublimities  of  Horace  and 
Homer.  In  1754,  the  "overseers"  of  the  college  recommended 
the  corporation  to  prohibit  the  wearing  of  "  gold  and  silver  lace 
or  brocade  "  by  students.  Indeed,  it  is  very  apparent  that  the 
day  of  the  plainest,  ugliest  cuts  for  all  male  apparel  had  nowhere 
yet  dawned. 

The  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  particularly 
characterized  by  high  colors  in  dress.  In  1724,  a  runaway  barber 
is  advertised.  "  He  wore  a  light  wig,  a  gray  kersey  jacket  lined 
with  blue,  a  light  pair  of  drugget  breeches,  black  roll-up  stock 
ings,  square-toed  shoes,  a  red  leathern  apron,  and  white  vest  with 
yellow  buttons  and  red  linings !"  About  the  same  time  a  lady, 
afflicted  with  the  tender  passion,  thus  bursts  out  in  verse  describ 
ing  the  costume  of  her  beloved  : 

"Mine,  a  tall  youth  shall  at  a  ball  be  seen, 
Whose  legs  are  like  the  spring,  all  clothed  in  green ; 
A  yellow  riband  ties  his  long  cravat, 
And  a  large  knot  of  yellow  cocks  his  hat !" 

The  colonial  gentry,  in  their  morning  negligee,  were  wont  to 
appear  in  elegant  silk  and  velvet  caps  and  dressing  gowns, 
exchanging  them  when  they  went  out  for  hats  and  cloaks  which 


LATER    COLONIAL    TIMES.  121 

glittered  with  broad  gold  lace.  The  evening  drawing-room  was 
enlivened  by  embroidered  garments  of  flowered  silk  and  velvet  in 
blue,  green,  scarlet,  or  purple  hues,  adorned  with  gold  lace,  silver 
knee-buckles,  and  silver  coat,  vest,  and  breeches  buttons.  These 
buttons  bore  sometimes  the  initial  of  the  wearer,  but  were  often 
made  of  real  quarter-dollars  and  eleven-penny  bits,  the  former 
being  used  for  the  coats  and  the  latter  for  vests  and  breeches. 
The  other  gentlemanly  ornaments  consisted  of  gold  or  silver 
sleeve-buttons,  silver  stock-buckle,  and,  perhaps,  a  shagreen- 
cased  watch  of  tortoise-shell  or  pinchbeck,  with  a  silver  or  steel 
chain  and  seal.  The  best  gentlemen  of  the  country  were  content 
with  silver  watches,  although  gold  ones  were  occasionally  used. 
Gold  chains  would  have  been  a  wonder.  It  was  so  rare  to  find 
watches  in  common  use  that  it  was  quite  an  annoyance  at  the 
watchmaker's  to  be  so  repeatedly  called  on  by  street-passengers 
for  the  hour  of  the  day.  Wide  laced  ruffles,  falling  over  the 
hand,  a  gold  or  silver  snuff-box,  and  a  gold-headed  cane  were  con 
sidered  indispensable  to  gentility.  A  well-bred  gentleman  of 
1776,  arrayed  in  his  stately  suit  of  ceremony,  moved  with  a  court 
liness  and  certain  gravity  of  manner  upon  which  we  have  hardly 
improved  in  our  day  of  cultivated  French  nonchalance.  It  is 
not  to  be  supposed,  however,  that  any  but  an  exceedingly  small 
minority  dressed  in  silks  and  velvets. 

Broadcloth  in  winter  and  silk  camlet  in  summer  were  popular 
in  wealthy  circles — coat  and  breeches  of  the  same  material. 
In  1738,  Benjamin  Franklin  advertises  for  clothes  stolen  from 
his  wardrobe,  among  which  we  find :  "  Broadcloth  breeches  lined 
with  leather,  sagathee  coat  lined  with  silk,  and  fine  homespun  linen 
shirts."  Vests  were  made  with  great  depending  pocket-flaps, 
and  breeches  were  short  above  the  stride,  suspenders  being  yet 
an  unknown  luxury.  Working-men  wore  their  breeches  very 
full  and  free  in  girth,  so  that,  when  they  became  prematurely 
thin  in  the  seat,  they  could  be  changed  from  front  to  rear. 
Worsted  everlasting  and  buckskin  were  in  great  demand,  espe 
cially  for  breeches,  and  common  people  were  content  with 
leather,  homespun,  and  various  heavy  wools  for  winter.  Bear 
skin  coats  and  little  woolen  muffs  of  various  colors,  called 
muftees,  were  worn  by  men  in  severe  weather.  Homespun 
linens  and  other  light  stuffs,  coarse  and  fine,  served  for  summer. 
Boots  had  not  yet  come  in  use,  but  every  thrifty  householder  kept 
on  hand  whole  calf-skins  and  sides  of  stout  sole-leather  to  be 


122  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

made  into  shoes  as  required.  "  Before  the  Revolution  no  hired 
men  or  women  wore  any  shoes  so  fine  as  calf-skin ;  that  kind  was 
the  exclusive  property  of  the  gentry ;  the  servants  wore  coarse 
neat's  leather."  Mechanics,  workingmen,  and  "country  people 
attending  markets  "  were  universally  clothed  in  red  or  green  baize 
vests,  striped  ticking  or  leather  breeches,  and  a  leathern  apron.  On 
Sundays  or  holidays,  a  white  shirt  was  substituted  for  the  checked 
or  speckled  one,  the  deerskin  breeches — greasy  and  stubbornly 
stiff  with  long  wear,  and  only  rendered  supple  by  the  warmth  of 
the  owner's  limbs — were  blacked  or  buft  up,  the  coarse  blue  yarn 
stockings  and  well-greased  shoes  set  off  by  a  pair  of  large  brass 
buckles,  and  the  apprentice  was  at  his  best.  Hired  women  wore 
short  gowns  of  green  baize  and  petticoats  of  linsey-woolsey,  and 
were  happy  with  wages  of  fifty  cents  a  week.  Until  after  the 
Revolution  the  dress  of  working-people  and  domestics  was  dis 
tinct  from  that  of  the  higher  classes. 

Wigs  went  out  of  style  about  twenty  years  before  the  Revolu 
tion,  following  the  lead  of  George  II.  and  the  British  officers  in 
this  country.  Previous  to  that,  their  use  was  universal,  and  as 
human  hair  could  not  be  obtained  in  sufficient  quantity,  horse 
and  goat  hair  "in  choice  parcels  "  were  freely  advertised  for  this 
purpose.  Gray  wigs  were  powdered,  the  barber  performing  that 
office  on  his  block-head.  After  wigs,  queues  and  frizzled  side- 
locks  had  their  day.  Sometimes  the  hair  was  confined  in  a  black 
silk  sack  or  bag,  adorned  with  a  large  black  rose.  The  three- 
cornered  or  cocked  hat  of  pre-Revolutionary  times  is  familiar  to 
every  one. 

Umbrellas  were  not  known  before  the  middle  ot  the  century. 
The  first  used  were  made  of  piled  linen,  very  coarse  and  clumsy, 
with  rattan  sticks.  Previous  to  that  the  gentlemen  wore  "  rain 
coats"  and  "roquelaus" — a  large  oiled  linen  cape;  ladies  wore 
"  camblets,"  and  sometimes  carried  "  quintasols  " — a  small  article 
something  like  a  parasol,  imported  from  India.  They  were  of 
oiled  muslin  in  various  colors.  When  umbrellas  were  first  used 
as  a  protection  from  the  sun,  great  ridicule  was  made  of  the  idea. 
Ladies,  as  a  preservative  of  their  complexion,  sometimes  wore 
black  velvet  masks  in  winter  and  green  ones  in  the  summer,  keep 
ing  them  on  by  means  of  a  silver  mouthpiece.  Veils  were  un 
known,  except  in  crape  as  a  badge  of  mourning. 

Woman's  extravagance  was  then,  as  it  is  now,  a  juicy  topic  for 
grumblers,  and  an  English  traveler  relates  how  the  Boston  ladies 


LATER    COLONIAL    TIMES.  123 

"  indulge  every  little  piece  of  gentility  to  the  height  of  the  mode, 
and  neglect  the  affairs  of  their  families  with  as  good  grace  as  the 
finest  ladies  in  London."  The  practical  satirists  of  the  day  had 
their  own  little  jokes,  and  drove  out  some  of  the  most  offensive 
fashions  by  novel  expedients.  The  loose  dress  called  a  trollopee 
being  distasteful  to  them,  they  dressed  the  wife  of  the  public  hang 
man  of  Philadelphia  in  one,  and  she  paraded  the  streets  in  full  cos 
tume,  mincing  and  strutting  to  the  sound  of  burlesque  music. 
Trollopees  straightway  became  obsolete.  The  long  red  cloaks 
were  quickly  stripped  from  the  shoulders  of  the  ladies  of  the  same 
city  after  a  depraved  female  criminal  had  been  hung,  clothed  in  a 
scarlet  mantle  of  the  most  approved  style.  The  "  tower"  head 
dress,  which  had  been  petted  to  a  ridiculous  extreme,  was  effec 
tually  caricatured  by  a  tall  man,  dressed  in  the  latest  feminine 
mode,  and  wearing  a  "  tower"  of  colossal  proportions,  \vho  made 
the  tour  of  the  city  streets,  preceded  by  a  drum.  No  one  but  the 
dear  creatures  themselves  guessed  how  much  torture  our  great- 
grandmothers  endured  in  the  building  up  of  a  proper  coiffure.  In 
towns  where  there  were  a  limited  number  of  hair-dressers,  and  a 
grand  party  was  in  contemplation,  it  was  no  uncommon  occur 
rence  for  ladies  to  have  their  hair  frizzed  and  curled — an  opera 
tion  which  required  three  or  four  hours  in  the  hands  of  a  skillful 
barber — the  day  before,  and  then  to  sit  up  all  night  to  prevent  its 
derangement !  It  was  a  great  relief  when  cushions  and  arti 
ficial  curled  work  came  in,  which  could  be  sent  out  to  the  barber's- 
block  and  save  the  agony  of  personal  attendance.  The  fashion 
able  caps  a  hundred  years  ago  were  the  "  Queen's  Nightcap,"  the 
style  always  worn  by  Mrs.  Washington,  and  the  "  cushion  head 
dress,"  made  of  gauze  stiffened  out  in  cylindrical  form  with  white 
spiral  wire,  and  having  a  border  called  the  "balcony."  A  cap 
was  indispensable  in  those  days.  Bare  heads  were  quite  out  of 
character.  Even  the  boys  wore  wigs  like  their  fathers,  and  little 
girls  caps  like  their  mothers.  The  "  musk-melon  bonnet "  had  the 
crown  shirred  with  whalebone  stiffeners,  and  was  in  vogue  just 
before  the  Revolution.  It  was  followed  by  the  "  whalebone,  bon 
net,"  which  was  shirred  only  in  front.  Bonnets  were  bonnets  in 
those  days,  veritable  sun  umbrellas,  tied  down  at  the  chin.  The 
"  calash  "  was  always  made  of  green  silk,  so  arranged  that,  when 
the  wearer  desired,  it  could  be  made  to  fall  back  on  the  neck  and 
shoulders  in  folds  like  the  cover  of  a  buggy.  To  keep  it  up  over 
the  head,  it  was  drawn  by  a  cord  held  in  the  hand  of  the  wearer. 


124  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

A  modification  of  this  fashion  has  been  revived  once  or  twice 
during  the  last  half  century.  Satin,  a  favorite  material  for  even 
ing  robes,  was  admirably  suited  to  the  stately  manners  of  the  gen 
tlewomen  of  the  day.  Brocades  and  mantuas  also  shared  the 
public  favor.  At  one  time  gowns  were  worn  without  fronts,  dis 
playing  a  finely-quilted  Marseilles,  silk  or  satin  petticoat,  and  a 
worked  stomacher  on  the  waist.  Chintz  for  summer,  and  some 
sort  of  worsted  for  winter,  were  worn  at  home,  and  "  thought 
dress  enough  for  common  days"  in  the  best  society.  Kerchiefs 
and  aprons  were  as  necessary  as  caps,  and  ranged  in  material 
from  the  finest  of  linen  cambric,  gauze,  and  taffeta,  monopolized 
by  the  rich  gentry,  to  the  coarsest  of  checks,  homespun,  and  tow, 
worn  by  the  mass  of  the  people.  Before  the  invention  of  the  spin 
ning-jenny  in  1767,  pure  cotton  home  fabrics  were  unknown,  the 
homespun  threads  being  too  irregular  to  be  of  use  except  as  a 
woof,  and  the  supply  being  also  very  limited.  The  first  cotton 
exported  from  the  United  States  to  England  was  sent  in  1785,  the 
ship  taking  but  one  bag.  Hose  were  made  of  thread  or  silk  in 
summer,  and  fine  or  coarse  worsted  in  winter.  Short  gowns  and 
long  gowns  are  familiar  names  in  our  grandmothers'  wardrobes, 
from  the  common  linsey-woolseys  to  the  stiff  large-flowered  bro 
cades  and  satins,  which  we  still  love  to  produce  as  relics  from 
old-fashioned  chests  which  smell  of  camphor  and  cedar.  The 
names  of  those  old  stuffs,  of  calamanco  and  durant  and  groset,  of 
russet  and  wilton  and  tabby,  of  tandem  and  gulix  and  huckaback, 
sound  strangely  now  to  the  young  American  girl,  who  would  be 
astonished  to  find  that  some  of  them  were  at  least  first  cousins  to 
fabrics  which,  somewhat  refined,  shine  in  the  present  market  under 
high-sounding  French  titles.  Somewhat  less  intelligible  still  is 
the  following  list  of  articles,  dress  materials,  etc.,  taken  from  a 
Philadelphia  advertisement  of  1745  :  "Quilted  humhums,  turket- 
tees,  grassetts,  single  allopeens,  allibanies,  florettas,  dickmansoy, 
cushloes,  chuckloes,  cuttanees,  crimson  dannador,  chained  soo- 
soos,  lemonees,  barragons,  byrampauts,  naffermamy,  and  saxling- 
ham  " ! 

Although  the  majority  of  houses  were  still  humbly  and  spar 
ingly  furnished,  yet  comforts  had  greatly  increased  during  the 
growing  prosperity  of  the  colonies,  and  a  few  really  elegant  homes 
were  found  in  every  city  of  importance,  belonging  mostly  to  the 
traveled  gentry,  whose  property  had  come  by  descent.  About 
the  close  of  colonial  times  we  hear  of  one  house  in  Boston  which 


LATER    COLONIAL    TIMES. 


125 


ANCIENT   CHAIR. 

(Brought  over  in  the  Mayflower.) 


had  cost  three  thousand  pounds,  and  of  another  whose  furni 
ture  was  worth  one  thousand  pounds.  Large  mirrors,  marble 
tables,  and  Turkey  carpets  figured  in 
fine  stone  mansions.  Elaborate  carv 
ings  were  seen  on  massive  balustrades 
in  spacious  halls,  and  the  parlor  walls 
were  sometimes  adorned  with  painted 
leather  hangings.  Deep  paneled  wain 
scots  and  carved  cornices  and  mantles 
added  to  the  solid  elegance  of  these 
handsome  dwellings.  Crimson  leather 
furnished  a  dignified  upholstery  to  the 
straight  high-backed  mahogany  chairs 
and  sofas,  while  heavy  damask  curtains 
steadied  the  glitter  from  ponderous 
brass  andirons  and  brass  clock.  There 
were  a  few  private  libraries  of  consid 
erable  size,  but  books  were  not  plenti 
ful,  though  well-selected  and  read  with 
care.  People  bought  an  outfit  of  books  as  of  furniture,  expect 
ing  it  to  last  a  lifetime.  Fielding,  the  father  of  English  novelists, 
supplied  the  little  that  was  desired  of  racy  fiction.  Smollett 
had  just  translated  Gil  Bias,  and  that,  with  the  ever-delight 
ful  Don  Quixote,  kept  up  their  sense  of  humor.  The  Vicar 
of  Wakefield,  newly  out,  was  read  till  young  and  old  had  it 
almost  by  heart.  Addison's  Spectator  and  Johnson's  Rambler 
were  models  for  correct  style.  Shakespeare  and  Milton  and  Young 
were  studied  until  their  expressions  were  as  familiar  as  thought ; 
while  a  careful  perusal  of  Blackstone's  Commentaries  and  Mon 
tesquieu's  Spirit  of  Laws  was  necessary  to  every  gentleman  who 
sought  to  be  well-read.  Everything,  both  in  books  and  in  furni 
ture,  was  solid.  Shams  had  not  yet  made  their  advent,  and  there 
were  no  veneered  woods,  no  silver-plated  wares.  What  would 
those  straightforward,  substantial  New  Englanders  have  thought 
of  our  day  of  dime  novels  and  of  shoddy  ? 

But  it  was  in  the  country  towns,  where  the  prim  Puritan  ele 
ment  had  not  been  softened  by  recent  English  innovations,  that 
one  saw  real  New  England  life.  White  sanded  floors,  with 
unpainted  pine  settles,  scoured  to  the  last  degree  of  whiteness ; 
maple,  rush-bottomed  chairs  set  squarely  back  against  the  white 
washed  walls ;  lofty  clock-cases  reaching  to  the  ceiling ;  glass- 


126 


COLONIAL    LIFE. 


doored  corner  closets  wherein  the  china  and  silver — family  treas 
ures — were  arranged  at  pure  right  angles ;  high  chests  of  drawers 
filled  with  stores  of  household  linen,  packed  squarely  in ; — every 
where  an  immutable  regularity,  angularity,  and  precision.  Upon 
the  walls,  the  little  looking-glasses  in  two  plates  were  framed  with 
scalloped  wood,  and  black  mouldings  set  off  the  quaint,  stiff 
bunches  of  flowers  painted  on  glass  or  worked  on  satin — testimo 
nies  to  fashionable  accomplishment.  Shining  brass  and  copper 
candlesticks,  ready  to  receive  the  tallow  candies  which  had  been 
snugly  packed  from  the  last  dipping,  were  turned  up  on  their 
large  round  base  upon  the  wooden  shelf.  Fixed  rules  governed 
the  arrangement  of  each  article  of  furniture,  and  were  as  consci 
entiously  observed  as  were  those  which  decided  the  proprieties 
of  manner.  Everything  was  stiff,  uncompromising,  and  sedate — 
everything,  except  the  dancing  flames  in  the  open  fireplaces 
which  laughed  at  their  own  incongruous,  frolicking  reflections — 
the  one  freedom  amid  perpetual  restraint.  In  the  chambers,  high, 
four-posted  bedsteads  kept  guard  over  the  same  immaculate 
order.  Their  hangings  and  valances  in  the  handsomest  houses 
were  sometimes  of  silk  in  summer  and  heavy  damask  in  winter. 
More  commonly,  however,  they  were  of  snowy  dimity,  or  of  blue 

and  white  stuff  like  the 
coverlets.  Sheets  of  home 
spun,  blankets  of  home 
made  flannel,  quilts  of 
various  hues  —  marvels 
of  industry,  and  narrow, 
downy  pillows  above  the 
soft  bolster,  completed  the 
equipments.  The  thrift  of 
the  New  England  house 
wife  reveled  in  crowded 
drawers  of  bed  and  table 
linen,  which  she  worked 
early  and  late  to  produce. 
"  She  layeth  her  hands  to 
the  spindle  and  her  hands 
hold  the  distaff"  was  an 

emphatic  record  of  her  daily  life.  The  two  wheels,  one  small 
and  worked  by  the  foot  for  spinning  linen  thread,  and  the  other 
large  and  turned  by  the  hand  for  woolen  yarn,  were  honored  articles 


THE    WOOLEN    Sl'IXMNG-WHEEL. 


LATER    COLONIAL    TIMES.  I2/ 

in  every  household.  No  less  were  her  kitchen  and  larder  a  pride. 
The  shining  lines  of  pewter  along  the  ample  dresser,  the  painfully 
scoured  floor  and  white  pine  furniture,  the  rows  of  jams  and  mar 
malades,  the  strings  of  dried  pumpkin  and  apples,  the  casks  and 
bottles  of  cider,  metheglin,  and  anise-seed  cordial,  all  attested  her 
careful  forethought.  In  many  houses  a  china  or  silver  bowl  of 
rum  punch  stood  in  the  hall,  a  hospitable  invitation  to  every  guest, 
who  all  drank  from  the  same  dish.  Flip  and  toddy  were  com 
mon  drinks,  and  a  moderate  use  of  the  flowing  bowl  seems  to 
have  been  almost  universal.  But  woe  to  the  man  who  overstepped 
the  subtle  line  which  divides  the  drinker  from  the  drunkard. 
His  name,  posted  in  every  alehouse — the  keepers  of  which  them 
selves  were  required  to  be  of  "  good  character  "  and  "  property- 
holders  " — shut  him  out  forever  from  further  lawful  tippling. 
Just  before  the  Revolution,  a  unique  punishment  was  in  vogue 
in  New  York  for  drunkards.  It  consisted  of  "  three  quarts  of 
warm  water  and  salt  enough  to  operate  as  an  emetic,  with  a  por 
tion  of  lamp  oil  to  act  as  a  purge."  In  1772,  a  negro,  found  drunk 
and  sent  to  Bridewell,  died  after  enduring  his  sentence. 

If  one  were  to  tell  all  the  curious  local  customs  which  pre 
vailed  here  and  there  over  the  colonies,  it  would  read  spicily 
enough.  Here  is  a  choice  dish  :  "  The  height  of  the  fashion  was 
to  put  into  the  kettle  of  ,chocolate  several  links  of  sausages,  and, 
after  boiling  all  together,  to  serve  the  guests  with  a  bowl  of 
chocolate  and  sausage.  The  latter  was  cut  up,  and  the  mess 
eaten  with  a  spoon."  When  tea  first  came  in  use,  it  was  boiled  in 
an  iron  kettle  and  strained  ;  the  leaves  were  well  buttered,  and  the 
clear  liquid  was  drunk  "  to  wash  down  the  greens."  A  dish 
called  whistle-belly-vengeance  was  made  by  simmering  the  sour 
household  brewed  beer  in  a  brass  kettle,  with  crumbled  crusts  of 
brown  bread,  adding  a  little  molasses.  It  was  served  hot. 

Yet,  without  carpets,  gas,  or  other  "  modern  improvements," 
taking  their  long  journeys  over  rough  roads  in  lumbering  coaches 
or  on  horse,  cooking  by  open  fireplaces,  and  spinning  and  weaving 
all  needful  articles  for  use  or  wear  by  slow  hand  labor,  our  pre- 
Revolutionary  fathers  and  mothers  extracted,  doubtless,  quite 
as  much  comfort  from  life  as  their  more  luxurious  descendants. 
The  old-time  physician  did  not  neglect  his  patients  though  he 
always  made  his  calls  on  foot,  and  never  ventured  to  charge  more 
than  two  shillings  for  each  visit ;  while  fair  ladies  bustled  through 
the  muddy  streets  in  pattens  and  galoshes,  and  deemed  it  no 


128  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

great  hardship  to  sit  out  a  round  hour  sermon  with  only  the  little 
tin  or  wooden  foot-stove  under  their  feet  to  temper  the  winter 
chill  of  the  meeting-house  which  had  never  known  a  fire.  When 
the  frosts  lay  heavy  on  lake  and  river,  came  the  festivities  of 
skating,  and  the  great  ox  was  roasted  on  the  thick-ribbed  ice. 
With  spring  came  May-day,  still  kept  up  in  many  parts  with  true 
Old  England  merriment.  For  ball  and  party  invitations,  since 
blank  cards  were  yet  unknown,  the  back  of  a  common  playing- 
card  served  as  well  as  anything  else  ;  why  not  ?  No  opportunity 
for  promiscuous  flirting  or  coquetry  then,  when  a  partner  was 
engaged  for  the  whole  evening,  each  couple  being  expected  to 
drink  tea  together  on  the  following  afternoon. 

We  turn  again  to  the  sunny  South,  seeking  repose  in  a  Vir 
ginia  planter's  luxurious  home.  We  have  seen  how  these  spacious 
mansions  were  situated,  dotting  at  long  intervals  the  bank  of 
some  lovely  river.  Free,  generous,  a  prince  in  hospitality,  the 
southern  gentleman  kept  open-house  to  all  respectable  strangers 
who  might  seek  food  or  lodging.  "  The  doors  of  citizens,"  says  a 
southern  writer,  "  are  opened  to  all  decent  travelers  and  shut 
against  none.  Innkeepers  complain  that  this  is  carried  to  such  an 
extent  that  their  business  is  scarcely  worth  following.  The 
abundance  of  provisions  on  plantations  renders  the  exercise  of 
this  virtue  not  inconvenient,  and  the  avidity  of  country  people 
for  hearing  news  makes  them  rather  seek  than  shun  the  calls  of 
strangers.  The  State  may  be  traveled  over  with  very  little 
expense  by  persons  furnished  with  letters  of  introduction,  or  even 
without  them  by  calling  at  the  plantations  of  private  gentlemen 
on  or  near  the  roads."  It  was  a  delightful  termination  to  a  day 
of  weary  journeying  when  the  bridle  was  loosed  before  one 
of  these  inviting  country  homes  and  the  gentlemanly  host 
uttered  his  courteous  welcome.  Over  the  low  verandas  and 
balconies  climbed,  in  wanton  luxuriance,  the  yellow  jasmine,  sweet 
honeysuckle,  or  the  trumpet  flower;  the  soft  air  was  fragrant 
with  the  breath  of  scented  shrubs  which  sprang  from  warm,  moist 
earth ;  everywhere  was  an  atmosphere  of  delicious  languor. 
Within  the  dwelling  was  the  same  air  of  repose.  The  music  of 
the  harpsichord  was  oftener  heard  than  the  hum  of  the  spinning- 
wheel,  though  the  southern  matron  had,  too,  her  own  peculiar 
round  of  duties.  Black  slaves  performed  all  the  domestic  labors, 
it  is  true  ;  but  the  heart  of  the  kind  mistress  was  mindful  of  the 
wants  of  her  large  and,  in  many  respects,  dependent  household, 


LATER    COLONIAL    TIMES.  I2Q 

in  which  she  found  sufficient  employ.  Her  articles  of  luxury  and 
many  of  her  comforts  were  brought  direct  from  England.  Ships 
from  Liverpool  sailed  up  the  river  and  delivered  at  the  private 
wharf  of  the  wealthy  planter  the  goods  of  fashionable  attire  or 
household  elegance  which  he  had  ordered  from  England,  receiv 
ing  in  return  the  tobacco  sowed,  gathered,  and  packed  by  the 
negroes  on  the  plantation.  Along  the  Potomac  many  of  the  plant 
ers  had  beautiful  barges  imported  from  England,  which  were  rowed 
by  negroes  in  uniform.  When  they  traveled  on  horseback,  they 
were  attended  by  their  black  servants  in  livery.  The  ladies  often 
took  their  airing  in  a  chariot  and  four,  with  liveried  black  postil 
lions.  A  short  distance  from  the  family  residence  stood  the  kit 
chen,  which,  like  the  laundry,  was  always  separate  from  the 
mansion.  From  its  large,  open  fireplace,  presided  over  by  some 
ancient  Dinah  or  Chloe  in  gorgeous  red  or  yellow  turban,  came 
savory  dishes  of  sweet  bacon,  wild-fowl,  or  game.  Hot  biscuit 
were  served  at  every  meal,  and  no  breakfast  was  complete  with 
out  a  plate  of  delicious  "  hoe-cakes  " — cakes  made  of  Indian  meal 
and  baked  before  the  fire,  which  are  as  naturally  associated  with 
the  southern  table  as  pumpkin-pies  with  the  New  England  board 
or  doughnuts  with  the  Dutch.  Conveniently  retired,  might  be 
found  the  negro  quarters  ;  a  cluster  of  wooden  cabins  each  with 
its  own  little  garden  and  poultry  yard,  and  with  swarms  of 
black  babies,  pickaninnies,  gambolling  in  the  sunshine.  The  south 
ern  planter,  like  the  roving  Merovingian  kings  of  France,  had 
artificers  of  all  kinds  in  his  retinue  of  servants:  tailors,  shoe 
makers,  carpenters,  smiths,  and  so  on  through  all  the  needful 
trades  of  ordinary  life.  There  were  ample  stables  for  the  blooded 
horses,  and  kennels  for  the  hounds,  for  the  chase  was  a  favorite 
diversion.  Washington  was  passionately  fond  of  it,  and  the 
names  of  his  fox -hounds — Vulcan,  Singer,  Sweetlips,  Music, 
Truelove,  etc. — were  carefully  registered  in  his  household  books, 
the  character  of  some  of  them  giving  us  a  faint  hint  of  an  under 
current  of  sentiment,  which  in  his  grave  dignity  he  seldom 
revealed.  On  his  beautiful  Mount  Vernon  estate,  that  wonderful 
man,  as  careful  a  proprietor  as  he  was  brave  general  and  accom 
plished  gentleman,  so  watched  over  his  exports  that  they  became 
noted  as  always  reliable,  and  it  was  said  that  any  barrel  of  flour 
bearing  his  brand  passed  into  West  India  ports  without  inspec 
tion. 

Washington's  early  friend  and  patron,  Lord  Thomas  Fairfax, 
9 


130  COLONIAL    LIFE. 

possessed  one  of  the  largest  estates  in  America.  His  mansion  house, 
called  Greenway  Court,  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  was  the  scene 
of  many  brilliant  festivities.  He  was  an  ardent  loyalist,  and  when 
he  heard  of  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  it  is  related  that  he  said 
to  his  servant,  "  Come,  Joe,  carry  me  to  bed,  for  it  is  higJi  time  for 
me  to  die"  Nor  did  he  long  survive  that  event.  His  immense 
lands,  valued  at  ninety-eight  thousand  pounds,  were  confiscated  to 
the  Union.  They  embraced  five  million  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  thousand  acres,  including  everything  between  the  Potomac 
and  the  Rappahannock.  When  we  read  of  one  person  enjoying 
the  title-claim  to  an  extent  of  territory  covering  all  the  present 
counties  of  Lancaster,  Northumberland,  Richmond,  Westmore 
land,  Stafford,  King  George,  Prince  William,  Fairfax,  Loudon, 
Fauquier,  Culpepper,  Clarke,  Madison,  Page,  Shenandoah,  Hardy, 
Hampshire,  Morgan,  Berkeley,  Jefferson,  and  Frederick — twenty- 
one  in  all — we  do  not  wonder  that  in  those  times  common  people 
made  bitter  complaint  that  all  Virginia  was  in  the  hands  of  a  few 
owners. 


F1ELU-SPOKTS    OF   THE    SOUTH — FOX-HUNTING. 


PART     II 


ar  4  % 


"  Over  the  hill-sides  the  wila  knell  is  tolling, 

From  their  far  hamlets  the  yeomanry  come  ; 
As  through  the  storm-clouds  the  thunder-burst  rolling, 
Circles  the  beat  of  the  mustering  drum. 
Fast  on  the  soldier's  path 
Darken  the  waves  of  wrath, 

Long  have  they  gathered,  and  loud  shall  they  fall ; 
Red  glares  the  muskets  flash, 
Sharp  rings  the  rifle's  crash, 
Blazing  and  clanging  from  thicket  and  wall." — HOLMES. 


CHAPTER     I. 

ALIENATION   OF   THE   COLONIES. 


HE  scattered  settlements  along 
the  Atlantic  grew  into  a  nation 
as  naturally  as  infancy  matures 
into  manhood.  The  whole  his 
tory  of  the  colonies  pointed  an 
index  hand  to  Lexington  and 

Bunker  Hill.  The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  but  the 
normal  outgrowth  of  the  contract  signed  by  the  Pilgrims  in  Cape 
Cod  Harbor  a  little  over  a  century  and  a  half  before.  The  so- 
called  "  Causes  of  the  Revolution  "  only  served  to  develop  that 
which  had  its  root  in  the  very  nature  of  things.  This  country 
was  settled  by  men  who  fled  from  persecution  at  home,  and 
America  to  them  meant  liberty  above  all  things  else.  Free 
dom  was  their  birthright,  and  they  had  studied  its  principles 
thoroughly.  To  provoke  such  men  by  injustice,  was  to  shake 
rudely  every  tie  which  bound  them  to  the  mother  country.  Just 
this  England  did,  wantonly  and  continually. 


134  ALIENATION    OF    THE    COLONIES.  [1750. 

The  royal  governors  often  carried  matters  with  a  high  hand. 
There  were  attempts  made  to  take  away  the  charters  of  Massa 
chusetts,  Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut.  There  were  sugges 
tions  of  creating  a  provincial  peerage  and  of  giving  the  Estab 
lished  Church  the  precedence  in  all  the  colonies.  In  the  army,  a 
"  regular"  captain  outranked  a  " provincial"  colonel.  Every 
effort  was  made  to  keep  the  colonies  dependent,  and  to  favor  the 
British  manufacturer  and  merchant.  Even  Pitt,  the  friend  of 
America,  asserted  that  the  colonists  had  "  no  right  to  manufac 
ture  a  nail  for  a  horse-shoe."  Commerce  and  manufactures  were 
bound  hand  and  foot.  In  1750,  the  Americans  were  forbidden  to 
send  pig-iron  to  England  and  to  make  steel  or  bar  iron  for  home 
use.  Iron-works  were  declared  "  common  nuisances."  The  expor 
tation  of  hats  from  one  colony  to  another  was  prohibited,  and  no 
hatter  was  allowed  to  have  more  than  two  apprentices  at  one 
time,  as  the  colonists,  if  let  alone,  "  would  supply  all  the  world 
with  hats."  The  importation  of  sugar,  rum  and  molasses  was  bur 
dened  with  exorbitant  duties ;  and  the  Carolinians  were  forbidden 
to  cut  down  the  pine-trees  of  their  vast  forests,  in  order  to  con 
vert  the  wood  into  staves,  or  the  juice  into  turpentine  and  tar,  for 
commercial  purposes.  England,  says  Sabine,  forbade  the  use  of 
waterfalls,  the  erection  of  machinery,  looms  and  spindles,  and 
the  working  of  wood  and  iron ;  set  the  king's  broad  arrow  upon 
trees  in  the  forest ;  shut  out  markets  for  boards  and  fish ;  seized 
sugar  and  molasses,  and  the  vessels  in  which  they  were  carried ; 
required  an  American  vessel  wrecked  on  the  Irish  coast  to  first 
send  its  goods  destined  for  an  Irish^  market  to  England,  and  then 
have  them  brought  back  to  Ireland  in  an  English  vessel ;  and  at 
tempted  to  define  the  limitless  ocean  to  be  but  a  narrow  pathway 
to  such  lands  as  bore  the  British  flag.  Such  odious  laws  drove 
men  to  their  violation.  It  was  the  only  hope  of  trade.  Smug 
gling  became  so  common  that  it  is  said  of  the  one  and  a  half 
million  dollars  worth  of  tea  used  annually  in  the  colonies, 
scarcely  any  had  paid  duty.  Not  one  chest  out  of  five  hundred 
landed  in  Boston  was  regularly  entered.  A  considerable  part  of 
Hancock's  fortune  inherited  from  his  uncle  was  made  by  smug 
gling  tea  in  molasses  hogsheads ;  and  at  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Revolution,  the  crown  had  sued  Hancock  himself  to  recover 
penalties  for  violations  of  revenue  laws  to  the  amount  of  half  a 
million  dollars. 

The  home  government  had  incurred  heavy  expenses  during 


1761.] 


WRITS    OF    ASSISTANCE. 


135 


the  old  French  and  Indian  war.  George  III.  was  now  king. 
Pitt,  who  was  almost  idolized  in  America,  was  dismissed,  and  the 
monarch,  following  incompetent  ministers  like  Bute,  Grenville, 
and  Townshend,  stupidly  and  wantonly  drove  on  the  colonists  to 
revolt.  It  was  determined  to  make 
the  rich  and  thriving  young  colo 
nies  contribute  to  the  payment 
of  the  debt.  The  colonists  were 
not  represented  in  parliament,  and 
they  declared  the  principle  that 
"  TAXATION  WITHOUT  REPRESEN 
TATION  IS  TYRANNY." 

Step  by  step  the  struggle  now 
went  on.  In  1761,  strict  orders 
were  received 
by  the  revenue 
officers  to  en 
force  the  obnox 
ious  laws  against 
trade.  Warrants, 
or  writs  of  assist 
ance,  as  they 
were  called,  were 
issued,  authoriz 
ing  these  per 
sons  to  search  for 

smuggled  goods.  With  such  a  pretext,  any  petty  custom-house 
official  could  ransack  a  man's  house  or  store  at  his  pleasure.  The 
colonists  held  the  Englishman's  maxim,  that  "  every  roan's  house 
is  his  castle."  The  royal  collectors  were  accordingly  resisted 
from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other.  At  the  General  Court 
in  Boston,  James  Otis,  without  fear  or  fee,  eloquently  withstood 
the  issuing  of  such  warrants.  "  To  my  dying  day,"  said  he,  "  I  will 
oppose,  with  all  the  powers  and  faculties  God  has  given  me,  all 
such  instruments  of  slavery  on  the  one  hand  and  villainy  on  the 
other."  "  Then  and  there,"  wrote  John  Adams,  "the  trumpet  of 
the  Revolution  was  sounded." 

From  that  time,  in  his  indignation,  Adams  could  "  never  read 
the  acts  of  trade  without  a  curse."  In  1764,  parliament  distinctly 
declared  its  "  right  to  tax  America."  Colony  after  colony  entered 
its  solemn  protest;  but  in  vain.  In  1765,  the  Stamp  Act  was 


WILLIAM    PITT,    EARL    OF   CHATHAM. 


136 


ALIENATION    OF    THE    COLONIES. 


[1765. 


passed.  This  ordered  that  no  legal  document  was  valid  unless  it 
bore  a  British  stamp  costing  from  three  pence  to  six  pounds ;  that 
every  newspaper  and  pamphlet  should  bear  a  stamp  worth  from  a 
halfpenny  to  four  pence ;  and  that  each  advertisement  should  pay 
a  duty  of  two  shillings. 

The  ministers  were  authorized  to  send  troops  to  America,  and, 
by  a  clause  in  the  Mutiny  Act,  it  was  ordered  that  the  colonists 
should  provide  the  soldiers 
with  quarters  and  necessary 
supplies.  America  was  not 
only  to  be  taxed  but  to  be 
made  to  house  and  feed  its 
oppressors.  The  assembly  of 


Virginia  was  in  session  when 
these  obnoxious  laws  were  an 
nounced.  Patrick  Henry,  a 
young  lawyer,  the  youngest 
member  of  the  house,  quickly 
drew  upon  the  blank  leaf  of  an 

old  law-book  a  series  of  resolutions  denying  the  right  of  parlia 
ment  to  tax  America.  He  supported  these  in  a  strain  of  burning 
patriotism,  declaring,  "  Cassar  had  his  Brutus,  Charles  I.  his  Crom- 


PATRICK   HENRY   ADDRESSING  THE  VIRGINIA   ASSEMBLY. 


1765.]  THE    MUTINY    ACT.  137 

well,  and  George  III." — here  pausing  till  the  cry  of  "Treason! 
Treason  !"  from  several  parts  of  the  house  had  subsided,  he  delib 
erately  added — "  may  profit  by  their  examples.  If  this  be  trea 
son,  make  the  most  of  it."  "  The  sun  of  liberty  is  set,"  wrote 
Franklin ;  "  the  Americans  must  light  the  lamps  of  industry  and 
economy."  "  Be  assured,"  was  the  reply  of  Colonel  Thomson, 
"  we  shall  light  lamps  of  a  very  different  character." 

The  tide  of  opposition  everywhere  ran  high,  and  even  some 
times  overflowed  the  barriers  of  law  and  order.  The  houses  of 
British  officials  were  mobbed.  The  opponents  of  the  tax  met  on 
Boston  Common  under  a  large  elm,  famous  as  the  "liberty  tree." 
Associations  were  formed  which  took  the  name  of  "  Sons  of 
Liberty,"  a  phrase  used  by  Colonel  Barre  in  a  powerful  speech, 
now  familiar  to  every  school-boy,  delivered  in  parliament  in 
defence  of  the  colonies.  At  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  a  coffin  inscribed 
"  Liberty,  aged  CXLV  years,"  was  borne  to  an  open  grave. 
With  muffled  drums  and  solemn  tread,  the  procession  moved  from 
the  State  House.  Minute-guns  were  fired  till  the  grave  was 
reached,  when  a  funeral  oration  was  pronounced  and  the  coffin 
lowered.  Suddenly  it  was  proclaimed  that  there  were  signs  of 
life.  The  coffin  was  raised.  A  new  inscription,  "  Liberty 
Revived,"  was  appended.  Bells  rung,  trumpets  sounded,  men 
shouted,  and  a  jubilee  ensued.  Stamps  were  everywhere  seized, 
and  the  agents  were  forced  to  resign.  The  people  agreed  not  to 
use  any  article  of  British  manufacture.  Trade  with  England 
almost  ceased.  The  women  entered  heartily  into  the  struggle, 
and  the  newspapers  of  the  day  are  full  of  their  patriotic  doings. 
They  formed  associations  called  "  Daughters  of  Liberty,"  and 
spun  and  wove  with  renewed  vigor,  determined  to  prove  them 
selves  independent  of  the  mother-country.  "  Within  eighteen 
months,"  wrote  a  gentleman  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  "  four 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  yards  of  cloth  and  thirty-six  pairs  of 
stockings  have  been  spun  and  knit  in  the  family  of  James  Nixon 
of  this  town."  In  Newport  and  Boston  the  women,  at  their  tea- 
drinkings,  used,  instead  of  imported  tea,  the  dried  leaves  of  the 
raspberry,  which  they  called  Hyperion.  The  feeling  spread  to 
every  condition  of  life.  The  very  children  in  the  streets  caught, 
up  the  cry,  "  Liberty  and  property  forever !  No  stamps." 

In  North  Carolina  John  Ashe,  speaker  of  the  Assembly,  declared 
to  Governor  Tryon,  "  This  law  will  be  resisted  to  blood  and 
to  death."  When  the  sloop-of-war  Diligence  anchored  in  Cape 


138 


ALIENATION    OF    THE    COLONIES. 


[1765. 


Fear  harbor  with  a  supply  of  stamped 
paper  for  the  use  of  the  colony,  the 
crowd,   headed    by   Colonels   Ashe 
and  Waddell,  prohibited  the  terri 
fied  captain  from  land 
ing  his  cargo.    Thence 
they  marched   to   the 
governor's    palace    at 
Wilmington       and 
threatened  to  burn  it 
over   his   head  unless 
he  gave  up  the  stamp- 
master,     whom     they 
forced  to  swear  not  to 
discharge    the    duties 
of  his  office. 

Massachusetts  sug 
gested  a  convention 
to  be  held  at  New 
York  in  October.  The 
call  was  en- 


IE  COLONIES. 


dorsed  by 
South  Car 
olina,  and 
delegates 
met  from 


nine     colonies. 
They       proposed 
a    declaration    of 
rights,    and     me 
morials      to     the 
king    and    parlia 
ment.      The   first 
of  November,  the 
time  appointed  for 
the  law  to  go  into 
effect,     was     ob 
served  as  a  day  of  mourning.     Bells 
were  tolled,  flags  were  raised  at  half- 
mast,   and   business   was   suspended. 
Samuel    and    John    Adams,    Patrick 


1766.]  REPEAL    OF    THE    STAMP    ACT.  139 

Henry,  and  James  Otis  aroused  the  people  over  the  whole  land 
by  their  stirring  and  patriotic  speeches. 

In  February,  1766,  Benjamin  Franklin,  then  in  England  as 
agent  for  Pennsylvania,  was  called  before  the  bar  of  the  House 
of  Commons  and  questioned  concerning  the  condition  of  the 
colonies.  His  firm  and  decisive  answers  greatly  impressed  the 
officers  of  the  crown.  The  English  government,  finding  that  the 
Stamp  Act  could  not  be  executed,  except  by  force  of  arms,  at  last 
repealed  it.  The  news  was  received  in  America  with  transports 
of  joy.  Addresses  of  thanks  were  voted  to  the  king  and  distin 
guished  statesmen,  such  as  Camden,  Pitt,  and  Barre.  At  Boston, 
Faneuil  Hall  was  adorned  with  full-length  pictures  of  the  latter 
two  friends  of  America.  The  debtors  were  released  from  jail,  and 
what  with  fireworks,  public  entertainments,  music,  and  parades, 
the  day  was  one  of  the  happiest  ever  seen.  The  "  home  feeling  " 
toward  England  was  restored  and  trade  resumed. 

But  the  cloud  soon  settled  again.  The  government  still 
declared  its  right  to  inflict  taxation  on  the  colonies.  Duties  were 
imposed  on  tea,  glass,  paper,  etc.,  and  a  Board  of  Trade  was 
established  at  Boston,  to  act  independently  of  the  colonial  assem 
blies.  The  press  and  the  pulpit  at  once  sounded  the  alarm.  The 
non-importation  agreement  was  revived  with  greater  stringency. 
The  New  York  assembly,  refusing  to  quarter  English  troops  at 
the  colonial  expense,  was  suspended  from  all  legislative  acts. 
The  Massachusetts  assembly  having  sent  a  circular  to  the  other 
colonies  urging  a  union  for  redress  of  grievances,  parliament, 
in  the  name  of  the  king,  ordered  it  to  rescind  its  action.  It 
almost  unanimously  refused.  In  the  meantime  the  assemblies  of 
nearly  all  the  colonies  had  declared  that  parliament  had  no  right 
to  tax  them  without  their  consent.  Hereupon  they  were  warned 
not  to  imitate  the  disobedient  conduct  of  Massachusetts. 

New  events  constantly  occurred  to  keep  up  the  excitement. 
The  commissioners  of  customs  seized  a  sloop  laden  with  wine, 
because  the  owner,  John  Hancock,  refused  to  pay  duty  upon  it ; 
but  the  mob  falling  upon  them,  they  were  glad  to  take  refuge  in 
Castle  William.  Boston  being  considered  the  hotbed  of  the 
rebellion,  General  Gage  was  sent  thither  with  two  regiments  of 
troops.  They  entered  on  a  quiet  Sunday  morning,  and  marched 
as  through  a  conquered  city,  with  drums  beating  and  flags  flying. 
All  the  prejudices  of  a  peaceful,  Sabbath-loving,  liberty-sworn 
people  were  thus  aroused.  Quarters  being  refused,  the  soldiers 


140 


ALIENATION    OF    THE    COLONIES. 


[1T70. 


took  possession  of  the  State  House.  The  Common  was  soon 
covered  with  tents.  Cannon  were  planted,  sentries  posted,  and 
citizens  challenged ;  while  the  harbor  was  occupied  by  a  fleet  of 
vessels. 

An  obsolete  law  of  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.  was  revived,  and 
the  governor  of  Massachusetts  ordered  to  send  the  persons  con 
cerned  in  the  late  disturbance  to  England  for  trial.  This  high 
handed  measure  was  bitterly  opposed  by  a  minority  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  Burke  exclaiming,  "  Can  you  not  trust  the  juries 
of  that  country  ?  If  you  have  not  a  party  among  two  millions 
of  people,  you  must  either  change  your  plans  of  government 
or  renounce  the  colonies  forever." 

The  presence  of  the  soldiers  in  Boston  was  a  constant  aggra 
vation,  and  the  people  did  their  utmost  to  render  their  stay 
uncomfortable.  The  city  committee  persuaded  the  farmers  to 
sell  them  nothing  but  the  provisions  necessary  for  their  existence ; 
straw,  timber,  boards,  and  other  articles  were  purposely  withheld 
from  their  market.  Articles  purchased  by  the  agents  of  govern 
ment  encountered  mysterious  accidents ;  straw  took  fire  and 
burned ;  vessels  with  bricks  sunk ;  wood-carts  overturned,  and, 
in  short,  the  vexations  of  life  were  multiplied  upon  them. 

Frequent  quarrels  took  place  between  the  people  and  the 
"  red-coats."  One  day  (March  5,  1770)  a  crowd  of  men  and  boys, 
maddened  by  their  presence,  insulted  the  city  guard.  A  fight 
ensued.  Several  citizens  were  wounded  and  three  killed.  The 

bells  were  rung.  The  country  people 
rushed  in  to  the  help  of  the  city.  Quiet 
was  with  difficulty  restored.  But  the 
snow  in  King  Street  was  purple,  and 
"  that  stain,  though  it  melted  away  in 
the  next  day's  sun,  was  never  forgot 
ten  nor  forgiven."  In  the  morning 
Faneuil  Hall  was  filled  with  an  indig 
nant  crowd.  The  immediate  removal 
of  the  troops  was  demanded.  The 
government  was  forced  to  yield,  and 
to  order  the  soldiers  out  of  the  city  to 
Castle  William.  The  citizens  slain  in 

the  brawl  were  buried  with  solemn  pageantry,  and  apotheosized 
as  the  first  martyrs  to  liberty.  The  story  of  the  "  Boston  Mas 
sacre,"  as  it  was  called,  became  a  tale  of  horror.  The  fact  that 


FANEUIL    HALL. 


1771.]  THE    BOSTON    MASSACRE.  141 

the  soldiers  fired  in  self-defence  against  an  excited  mob  was 
ignored,  and  the  hate  of  foreign  domination  was  intensified  by 
details  of  what  was  spread  as  an  unprovoked  assault  upon  quiet 
and  defenceless  citizens. 

The  guard  which  had  fired  on  the  mob  were  tried  for  murder. 
The  result  was  a  beautiful  triumph  of  law  and  order  over  popular 
prejudice.  The  defence  was  conducted  by  John  Adams  and 
James  Otis.  In  spite  of  the  universal  agitation,  all  were  acquitted 
except  two,  who  were  convicted  of  manslaughter  only.  These 
were  branded  in  the  hand  in  open  court  and  discharged.  This 
fair  and  honorable  trial  exhibited  the  temper  of  the  people  and 
the  uselessness  of  reviving  an  ancient  statute  in  order  to  secure 
justice. 

In  North  Carolina  the  insolence  shown  in  the  notorious 
embezzlements  of  the  royal  officers  aroused  open  rebellion.  The 
governor,  who  was  himself  squandering  the  funds  in  building  a 
palace,  stated  in  an  official  paper  that  the  "  sheriffs  had  purloined 
more  than  half  the  public  moneys."  In  this  province  the  revenue 
was  raised  by  a  poll-tax,  so  that  the  richest  merchant  paid  no 
more  than  the  poorest  laborer.  The  officers  often  levied  four 
times  the  lawful  tax.  The  courts  refused  the  distressed  people 
their  rights.  Money  was  scarce  ;  wheat  brought  only  one  shilling 
per  bushel,  and  that  after  being  hauled  fifty  or  a  hundred  miles  to 
market.  Under  such  circumstances  the  taxes  became  simply 
unendurable.  At  last,  as  the  only  means  of  obtaining  justice,  an 
association  of  regulators  was  formed  for  the  avowed  purpose  of 
redressing  the  grievances  of  the  country.  Governor  Tryon, 
however,  marched  against  them,  defeated  them  at  Alamance 
Creek  (May  16,  1771),  and  left  three  hundred  of  their  number 
dead  on  the  field.  Six  were  afterward  hanged.  The  governor 
and  his  satellites  took  possession  of  such  of  their  estates  as  they 
desired.  Not  a  few  of  the  hardy  backwoodsmen  fled  to  the 
wilderness  and  obtained  lands  of  the  Cherokees,  where  they  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  State  of  Tennessee.  The  regulators  were 
subdued,  though  a  bitter  hatred  of  British  rule  was  engendered. 

In  1772,  the  Gaspee,  a  British  revenue  schooner,  while  chasing 
a  vessel,  ran  aground.  The  opportunity  was  too  good  to  be  lost. 
That  night  a  party  from  Providence  boarded  and  set  her  on  fire. 

The  English  government  was  greatly  alarmed  by  the  steady 
determination  evinced  by  the  colonies.  The  merchants,  whose 
goods  lay  unsold  in  their  warehouses,  offered  to  pay  the  govern- 


142 


ALIENATION    OF    THE    COLONIES. 


[1773. 


THE  REGULATORS  THREATENING  GOVERNOR  TRYON. 


ment  the  entire  amount  expected  to  be  realized  from  the  duties. 
Finally,  all  were  rescinded  except  that  on  tea,  which  was  left 
merely  to  maintain  the  right  of  taxation.  With  a  curious  mis 
apprehension  of  the  American  spirit,  an  arrangement  was  made 
with  the  India  Company  whereby  this  could  be  furnished  at  a 
cheaper  rate  in  America  than  in  England.  The  subterfuge  only 
exasperated  the  patriots.  They  were  fighting  for  a  great  princi 
ple,  not  against  a  paltry  tax. 

At  Charleston  the  tea  was  stored  in  damp  cellars,  where  it 
soon  spoiled.  The  tea-ships  at  New  York  and  Philadelphia  were 
sent  home.  The  British  authorities  at  Boston  refused  to  let  the 
vessels  loaded  with  tea  return.  Upon  this,  an  immense  public 
meeting  was  held  at  Faneuil  Hall.  Speeches  were  made  by 
Quincy,  Adams  and  others.  It  was  resolved  that  the  tea  should 
never  be  landed.  That  evening  (December  16,  1773),  memorable 
in  American  history,  a  party  of  men  disguised  as  Indians  boarded 
the  vessels  and  emptied  three  hundred  and  forty-two  chests  of 
tea  into  the  water.  The  dock  was  crowded  with  people  who 
looked  on  with  joy.  When  the  work  was  done  they  quietly 
dispersed.  As  the  party  passed  by  a  house  where  Admiral 
Montague  was  visiting,  he  raised  a  window  and  called  out, 
"  Well,  boys,  you've  had  a  fine  night  for  your  Indian  caper.  But, 
remember,  you've  got  to  pay  the  fiddler  yet."  "  Oh,  never 
mind,"  replied  one  of  the  leaders,  "  never  mind,  squire  !  Just 
come  out  here,  if  you  please,  and  we'll  settle  the  bill  in  two 
minutes."  But  the  Admiral  declined  to  come  out ;  and  to  "  settle 
the  bill "  took  seven  years  of  bloody  war,  thousands  of  lives,  and 
millions  of  money. 


1774.]  MEETING    OF    THE    CONTINENTAL    CONGRESS.  143 

The  issue  was  now  fairly  made.  "  The  king,  his  ministers, 
parliament,  and  all  Great  Britain  set  themselves  to  subdue  this 
one  stubborn  little  town  on  the  sterile  coast  of  Massachusetts  Bay." 
The  odds  were  terrible.  But  in  resolute  little  Boston  there  were 
a  town  hall,  free  schools,  free  presses,  and  free  pulpits.  There 
was  a  government  of  the  people,  for  the  people,  and  by  the 
people ;  there  were  heroes  who  knew  the  right  and  dared  main 
tain  it ;  there  were  praying  men,  zealous  ministers,  and  conscien 
tious  statesmen.  God  smiled  on  his  own,  and  that  town  was  safe. 

The  English  government  at  once  adopted  retaliatory  measures. 
General  Gage  was  appointed  governor  of  Massachusetts,  with 
orders  to  enforce  new  and  more  coercive  decrees,  virtually 
abrogating  the  charter.  The  port  of  Boston  was  closed  by  act 
of  parliament.  Great  distress  was  thus  produced  in  the  city,  but 
from  every  side  came  expressions  of  sympathy  and  substantial 
aid.  The  cause  of  Boston  was  made  the  common  cause  of  the 
country.  The  merchants  of  Marblehead  and  Salem,  refusing  to 
profit  by  the  ruin  of  their  rivals,  offered  the  use  of  their  wharves  to 
the  Boston  merchants.  Wyndham,  Conn.,  donated  a  flock  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  sheep.  Schoharie,  New  York,  forwarded 
five  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  of  wheat.  The  people  of  Georgia 
sent  their  sympathies  from  the  far  south,  accompanied  by  sixty- 
three  barrels  of  rice  and  seven  hundred  and  twenty  dollars  in 
specie. 

The  burgesses  of  Virginia,  then  in  session  at  the  old  capitol 
in  Williamsburg,  learning  the  news  of  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  ap 
pointed  a  fast  day  on  June  ist,  when  it  was  to  go  into  effect. 
The  governor  immediately  dismissed  the  refractory  assembly,  as 
a  schoolmaster  would  a  class  of  unruly  boys, — yet  it  contained 
such  men  as  Henry,  Jefferson,  Lee,  Pendleton,  and  Nicholas. 
Washington  notes  in  his  diary  that  he  observed  that  day  as  a 
rigid  fast,  and  attended  services  at  church.  George  Mason 
charged  his  children  to  go  thither  clad  in  mourning.  The  bur 
gesses,  after  their  dissolution,  immediately  repaired  en  masse  to 
the  famous  " Apollo  Room"  of  the  Old  Raleigh  Tavern — Vir 
ginia's  Faneuil  Hall — less  than  one  hundred  paces  from  the 
capitol.  Here  they  declared  unanimously  that  the  attack  on 
Massachusetts  was  one  upon  all  the  colonies,  and  must  be  re 
sisted  by  their  united  wisdom. 

Committees  of  correspondence  were  now  appointed  by  the 
various  colonies.  This  idea,  acted  upon  first  by  the  Sons  of  Lib- 


144 


ALIENATION    OF    THE    COLONIES. 


[1774. 


CARPENTER  S   HALL. 


erty  in  New  York  city,  became  a  powerful  political  engine  in 
combining  the  colonies  against  England.  A  curious  device,  rep 
resenting  the  colonies  as  parts  of  a 
snake,  with  the  significant  motto, 
"Join  or  die,"  was  extensively 
adopted.  At  the  suggestion  of 
influential  men  and  meetings  in 
all  parts  of  the  country,  delegates 
were  chosen  to  a  general  congress. 
The  first  Continental  Congress 
assembled  at  Carpenter's  Hall, 
Philadelphia,  September  5,  1774. 
Every  colony  but  Georgia  was 
represented.  The  venerable  Pey 
ton  Randolph  was  chosen  presi 
dent.  Fifty-three  delegates  were 
present — among  them  such  men  as 
Samuel  and  John  Adams  of  Mas 
sachusetts  ;  Hopkins  of  Rhode  Island ;  Sherman  and  Deane  of 
Connecticut;  Livingston  and  Jay  of  New  York;  Lee,  Henry, 
Randolph,  and  Washington  of  Virginia  ;  Rutledge  and  Gadsden 
of  South  Carolina.  The  first  meeting,  we  are  told,  was  fearfully 
solemn.  All  felt  the  momentous  responsibility  of  the  occasion. 
At  last  the  silence  was  broken  by  the  magic  eloquence  of  Patrick 
Henry.  He  was  followed  by  Richard  Henry  Lee.  It  was 
resolved  that  each  session  should  open  with  prayer — Samuel 
Adams,  though  a  Congregationalist,  moving  that  Rev.  J.  Duch£, 
rector  of  Christ  Church,  Philadelphia,  should  be  invited  to 
officiate. 

Morning  came.  News  had  arrived  of  a  bloody  attack  on 
Boston  by  the  British  troops.  The  regular  psalm  for  that  day 
(seventh)  seemed  providentially  ordered.  The  chaplain  read : 
"  Plead  thou  my  cause,  O  Lord,  with  them  that  strive  with  me, 
and  fight  thou  against  them  that  fight  against  me.  Lay  hand 
upon  the  shield  and  buckler,  and  stand  up  to  help  me.  Bring 
forth  the  spear,  and  stop  the  way  against  them  that  persecute 
me."  "  Lord,  how  long  wilt  thou  look  upon  this?  O  deliver  my 
soul  from  the  calamities  which  they  bring  on  me."  "  Awake  and 
stand  up  to  judge  my  quarrel.  Avenge  thou  my  cause,  my  God 
and  my  Lord.  Judge  me,  O  Lord,  my  God,  according  to  thy 
righteousness  ;  and  let  them  not  triumph  over  me."  After  this, 


1774.] 


EXCITEMENT    OF    THE    PEOPLE. 


145 


the  chaplain  unexpectedly  broke  out  into  an  extempore  prayer  so 
full  of  zeal  and  fervor,  for  Congress,  the  country,  and  especially 
for  Boston,  that  the  hearts  of  all  were  thrilled  and  comforted. 

As  yet  few  members  had  any  idea  of  independence.  Congress, 
however,  voted,  that  obedience  was  not  due  to  any  of  the  recent 
acts  of  parliament,  and  sustained  Massachusetts  in  her  resistance. 
It  issued  a  protest  against  standing  armies  being  kept  in  the 
colonies  without  consent  of  the  people,  and  agreed  to  hold  no 
intercourse  with  Great  Britain,  though  expressing  at  the  same 
time  the  most  devoted  loyalty  to  the  king.  It  also  agreed  not  to 
import  or  purchase  slaves  after  the  first  of  December  ensuing. 

The  country  heaved  like  an  ocean  in  a  storm.  Party  lines 
were  now  sharply  drawn.  Those  opposed  to  the  action  of  the 
British  government  were  termed  Whigs,  and  those  supporting  it 
Tories.  Everywhere  were  repeated  the  thrilling  words  of 
Patrick  Henry  in  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses,  "  I  know  not 
what  course  others  may  take,  but  as  for  me,  give  me  liberty  or  give 
me  death."  Companies  of  soldiers,  termed  "  minute-men,"  were 
formed.  To  be  a  private  in  one  of  these  was  an  honor.  Balls 
were  cast,  cartridges  made,  and  military  evolutions  learned. 
Nothing  was  heard,  says  Botta,  but  the  din  of  arms  and  the 
sound  of  fife  and  drums.  Gage,  being  alarmed,  fortified  Boston 
Neck,  and  seized  the  powder  in  the  magazine  at  Charlestown. 
A  rumor  having  been  circulated  that  the  British  ships  were 
firing  on  Boston,  in  two  days  thirty  thousand  minute-men  were 
on  their  way  to  the  city.  A  spark  only  was  needed  to  kindle 
the  slumbering  hatred  into  the  flames  of  war. 


ENGLAND    FORCING   TEA    DOWN   THE  THROAT   OF   AMERICA. 

(From  a  caricature  of  the  time.) 


CHAPTER    II. 


OF    THE    WA<&. 


ENERAL  GAGE,  learning  that 
the  patriots  were  collecting- 
stores  and  ammunition  at  Con 
cord,  resolved  to  seize  them. 
On  April  i8th,  about  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  a  body 
of  eight  hundred  regulars,  under 
the  command  of  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Smith  and  Major  Pit- 
cairn,  secretly  left  Boston,  and 
near  midnight  took  the  road 
for  Concord.  The  moon  shone 
brightly  from  the  clear  sky,  and 
they  moved  on  rapidly.  The  Boston  leaders,  however,  were  on 
the  alert.  From  the  tower  of  the  old  North  Church  streamed  a 
beacon  light  ;  while  Paul  Revere  and  William  Dawes,  escaping 
the  guard,  were  already  far  ahead  announcing  their  coming. 
There  was 

"  A  hurry  of  hoofs  in  a  village  street, 

A  shape  in  the  moonlight,  a  bulk  in  the  dark, 
And  beneath,  from  the  pebbles,  in  passing,  a  spark 
Struck  out  by  a  steed  flying  fearless  and  fleet." 

Soon  the  distant  ringing  of  bells  and  firing  of  guns  told  the 
troops  that  the  alarm  was  spreading.  When  they  reached  Lex 
ington  at  dawn,  they  found  a  small  company  of  minute-men 
gathering  on  the  village  green.  Riding  up,  Pitcairn  shouted, 
"  Disperse,  you  rebels  !  Lay  down  your  arms  !  "  "  Too  few  to 
resist,  too  brave  to  fly,"  they  hesitated.  Discharging  his  pistol,  he 
cried  aloud  to  his  troops,  "  Fire  !  "  It  was  a  murder,  not  a  battle. 
Only  a  few  random  shots  were  returned  by  the  patriots  to  the 
volley  which  followed.  Jonas  Parker  had  sworn  never  to  run 


AJ77519']  LEXINGTON    AND    CONCORD.  147 

from  the  red-coats.  Already  wounded,  he  was  reloading  his  gun 
on  his  knees,  when  a  bayonet  thrust  pierced  his  heart.  Harring 
ton  was  hit  while  standing  in  front  of  his  house.  His  wife  saw 
him  from  the  window,  and  rushed  down  only  to  catch  him  as, 
tottering  forward,  he  expired  in  her  arms.  With  three  huzzas 


\UL  REVERE  SPREADING  THE  ALARM. 


over  their  valiant  slaughter  of  a  handful  of  villagers,  the  troops 
marched  on,  leaving  behind  them  seven  Americans  lying  on  the 
bloody  grass — the  first  dead  of  the  Revolution. 

Lonely  did  they  look  in  the  still  air  and  the  solemn-  hush  that 
fell  on  the  town  after  the  sharp  crack  of  the  rifle  had  died  away ; 
but  they  were  heroes  all,  and,  a  century  later,  we  gaze  back  upon 
Lexington  as  upon  an  altar  of  sacrifice. 

"  Of  man  for  man  the  sacrifice, 

Unstained  by  blood,  save  theirs,  they  gave. 
The  flowers  that  blossomed  from  their  grave 
Have  sown  themselves  beneath  all  skies. 

"  No  seers  were  they,  but  simple  men  ; 
Its  vast  results  the  future  hid  ; 
The  meaning  of  the  work  they  did 
Was  strange  and  dark  and  doubtful  then." 

Elated  by  their  success,  the  English  now  pushed  forward  to 
Concord  and  destroyed  what  stores  they  could  find  at  that  place. 
Major  Pitcairn,  who  was  given  to  bluster  as  well  as  profanity, 
entered  the  village  tavern  and  poured  out  a  glass  of  brandy, 
which  he  sweetened  to  his  taste,  but  not  finding  a  spoon  to  stir 


148 


OPENING    OF    THE    WAR. 


[ApriM9, 


1775. 


it,  mixed  it  with  his  fingers  ;  at  the  same  time  saying  in  bluff 
soldier  fashion  that  "just  so  he  would  stir  up  the  blood  of  the 
Yankees  before  the  day  was  over."  Meantime  the  militia  were 
gathering  fast  on  the  neighboring  hills,  and  even  ventured  to 
sharply  return  a  volley  from  the  British  pickets  at  the  Concord 
Bridge,  where 

"  The  embattled  farmers  stood 
And  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the  world." 

The  grenadiers  ran  in  confusion.  The  example  was  contagious, 
and  Smith  decided  to  return.  It  was  high  time.  The  whole  region 

was  in  arms.  Every  boy 
old  enough  to  grasp  a 
musket  and  a  powder- 
horn  hurried  to  avenge 
his  fellows.  The  gray- 
haired  men  hobbled  on 
as  best  they  could  to 
get  a  shot  at  the  ene 
mies  of  their  country. 
An  old  hoary-headed 
man  of  Woburn  figures 
in  the  stories  of  the 
time,  who  rode  a  fine 


IlingWx 


white   horse   after  the 

flying  troops,  and,  dismounting  within  gunshot,  would  send  his 
sure  bullet  to  the  mark.  When  he  fired  some  one  fell.  They 
came  to  cry,  at  sight  of  him,  "  Look  out,  there  is  the  man  on  the 
white  horse."  Every  bush,  tree,  stone  wall,  and  building  con 
cealed  a  patriot,  who  blazed  away  at  the  red-coats  as  they  passed, 
firing,  loading  quickly,  and  then  running  ahead  across  the  fields 
to  catch  another  shot ;  fresh  allies  on  either  flank  streamed  in  by 
every  cross-road  ;  and  between  them  all  the  British,  no  longer  in 
ranks,  were  flying  like  sheep  along  the  same  road  by  which  they 
had  come,  afraid  of  the  storm  they  had  aroused.  The  whole 
body  would  have  been  captured  had  they  not  met  Lord  Percy 
with  reinforcements  near  Lexington.  He  formed  a  hollow  square 
to  receive  the  breathless  fugitives,  who  rushed  forward  with 
"  tongues  hanging  out  of  their  mouths,  like  those  of  dogs  after  a 
chase."  Even  now  there  was  danger.  The  woods  were  swarm 
ing  with  "  rebels."  The  cannon  Percy  had  brought  with  him 


April  19,1 
1775.    . 


LEXINGTON    AND    CONCORD. 


149 


scarcely  kept  the  Americans  at  bay.  It  was  with  the  greatest 
difficulty  that  he  at  last  escaped  under  the  guns  of  the  fleet  off 
Charlestown. 

During  that  eventful  day  the  English  had  lost  about  two 
hundred  and  eighty,  and  the  Continentals  one-third  that  num 
ber.  Percy's  men,  enraged  at  their  losses,  plundered  houses, 
destroyed  furniture,  and  fired  buildings  on  their  route,  driving 
the  sick  from  their  beds  and  killing  the  infirm.  In  one  place,  a 
boy  had  taken  refuge  under  his  mother's  bed  ;  a  soldier,  seeing 
the  little  fellow's  foot  projecting,  barbarously  pinned  it  to  the 
floor  with  his  bayonet.  The  young  hero  never  groaned. 

The  effect  of  this  day's  work  was  electrical.  The  news  that 
American  blood  had  been  spilled  flew  like  wildfire.  Patriots 
came  pouring  in  from  all  sides.  General  Putnam,  "  Old  Put,"  as 
he  was  familiarly  called,  already  famous  for  his  exploit  in  the 


PUTNAM  STARTING  FOR   CAMBRIDGE. 


wolf's  den  and  other  equally  daring  deeds,  left  his  cattle  yoked  in 
the  field,  and  without  changing  the  checked  shirt  he  had  on, 
mounted  his  fastest  horse,  and  the  next  morning  was  at  Cam 
bridge,  having  ridden  one  hundred  miles  in  eighteen  hours. 
Soon  twenty  thousand  men  were  at  work  throwing  up  entrench 
ments  to  fasten  the  British  in  the  city.  Congresses  were  formed 


OPENING    OF    THE    WAR. 


[May  10, 
L    1775. 


in  all  the  colonies,  and  committees  of  safety  were  appointed  to 
call  out  the  troops,  and  to  provide  for  any  emergency. 

Meanwhile  Connecticut  resolved  to  strike  a  blow  for  the  good 
cause.  An  expedition  was  accordingly  fitted  out  under  Ethan 
Allen,  a  noted  leader  of  the  "  Green  Mountain  Boys,"  and  Bene 
dict  Arnold,  to  seize  the  forts  of  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point. 
Troops  were  hastily  gathered,  and  the  march  began.  Late  on  the 
night  of  May  gth  they  reached  the  shore  of  the  lake.  Only  a  few 
boats  could  be  secured,  and  at  daybreak  only  eighty-three  men 
had  crossed.  No  time  was  to  be  lost  if  a  surprise  was  to  be 
effected.  With  this  little  band,  Allen  marched  directly  upon  a 
fortress  that  mounted  one  hundred  guns — himself  leading  the  at- 


ETHAN    ALLAN    AT   TICONDEROGA. 


tack,  with  Arnold  emulously  at  his  side.  As  Allen  rushed  into 
the  sally-port,  a  sentinel  snapped  his  gun  at  him  and  fled.  The 
Green  Mountain  Boys  quickly  formed  upon  the  parade-ground  in 
hollow  square,  facing  each  way  toward  the  barracks,  and  raised 
the  Indian  whoop.  "  It  was  a  cry,"  says  Bancroft,  "  that  had  not 
been  heard  there  since  the  time  of  Montcalm."  Rapidly  making 
his  way  to  the  commander's  quarters,  Allen,  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
ordered  him  to  surrender.  "  By  whose  authority  ?"  exclaimed  the 
frightened  officer.  "  In  the  name  of  the  Great  Jehovah  and  the 
Continental  Congress !  "  shouted  Allen.  No  resistance  was  at- 


9f5l6>]  CAPTURE    OF    TICONDEROGA. 


tempted.  Large  stores  of  cannon  and  ammunition,  just  then  so 
much  needed  by  the  troops  at  Boston,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Americans  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man.  A  detachment  was 
sent  off  under  Colonel  Seth  Warner  to  take  Crown  Point,  and  that 
fort  surrendered  at  the  first  summons. 

A  few  hours  after  the  capture  of  Ticonderoga,  the  second  Con 
tinental  Congress  met  at  Philadelphia.  It  voted  to  raise  twenty 
thousand  men,  and  to  issue  three  million  dollars  in  paper  money. 
John  Adams,  after  a  powerful  speech  setting  forth  the  qualities 
requisite  for  the  commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  suddenly  nomi 
nated  George  Washington,  then  present  as  delegate  from  Virginia, 
for  that  high  office.  All  were  surprised,  as  he  had  informed  no 
one  of  his  intention,  but  the  members  unanimously  approved  the 
choice.  Artemas  Ward,  Charles  Lee,  Philip  Schuyler,  and  Israel 
Putnam  were  appointed  major-generals ;  Seth  Pomeroy,  Richard 
Montgomery,  David  Wooster,  William  Heath,  Joseph  Spencer, 
John  Thomas,  John  Sullivan,  and  Nathaniel  Greene,  brigadiers ; 
Horatio  Gates  was  made  adjutant-general,  with  the  rank  of  briga 
dier.  Strange  to  say,  there  were  still  hopes  of  a  reconciliation, 
and  committees  were  appointed  to  petition  the  king  and  to  ad 
dress  the  people  of  England. 

Gage  had  now  received  heavy  reinforcements  under  experi 
enced  generals,  Clinton,  Burgoyne,  and  Howe.  Thus  encour 
aged,  he  declared  martial  law,  but  offered  pardon  to  all  rebels 
who  should  lay  down  their  arms,  excluding,  however,  Samuel 
Adams  and  Hancock,  whose  crimes  were  so  great  that  they  were 
to  be  taken  to  England  and  reserved  for  more  condign  punish 
ment.  The  English  were  now  determined,  as  Burgoyne  expressed 
it,  to  get  "  elbow  room,"  and  they  had  already  resolved  to  fortify 
Dorchester  Heights  and  Bunker  Hill,  which  overlooked  the  city, 
on  the  1 8th  of  June.  This  becoming  known  in  the  patriot  camp, 
it  was  decided  to  anticipate  them ;  and  General  Ward,  who  was 
then  at  the  head  of  the  besieging  forces,  ordered  Colonel  Prescott, 
with  one  thousand  men,  to  occupy  Bunker  Hill.  On  the  night 
of  June  1 6th  the  troops  assembled  at  Cambridge,  whence,  after 
prayer  by  President  Langdon  of  Harvard  College,  they  noise 
lessly  marched  to  Breed's  Hill,  which  they  had  decided  to  be  a 
more  commanding  position.  It  was  bright  moonlight,  and  they 
were  so  near  the  enemy  that  they  could  distinctly  hear  the  "All's 
well"  of  the  sentinels  at  the  foot  of  Copp's  Hill ;  yet  so  quietly  did 
they  work  that  there  was  no  alarm.  Before  morning  they  had 


152 


OPENING    OF    THE    WAR. 


TJune  17, 
L    1775. 


thrown  up  a  redoubt  eight  rods  square  and  six  feet  high.  At 
dawn,  a  watchman  on  one  of  the  ships  discovered  the  earthwork. 
Fire  was  at  once  opened,  in  which  soon  after  all  the  shipping  and 
a  battery  on  Copp's  Hill  joined.  Under  the  raining  bombs  and 
balls  the  Americans  toiled  on,  strengthening  the  work  already 


THE  PRAYER  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE  OF  BUNKER  HILL. 


thrown  up,  and  also  running  a  breastwork  north  about  twenty 
rods  down  the  hill.  A  soldier  who  had  ventured  outside  being 
killed  by  a  cannon-ball,  some  panic-stricken  ones  fled.  Colonel 
Prescott,  although  his  tall,  commanding  form  rendered  him  a  con 
spicuous  mark,  sought  to  reassure  his  men  by  leisurely  making  a 
tour  upon  the  parapet.  General  Gage,  in  Boston,  was  standing 
near  Counsellor  Willard,  Prescott's  brother-in-law,  inspecting  the 
works  through  a  glass.  "  Who  is  that  ?"  he  demanded.  "  That  is 
Colonel  Prescott,"  was  the  reply.  "  Will  he  fight?"  was  the  next 
question.  "  Yes,  sir,"  said  Willard ;  "  he  will  fight  as  long  as  a 
drop  of  blood  remains  in  his  veins."  "  The  works  must  be  carried 
immediately,"  was  the  quick  response,  and  the  British  general 
turned  to  give  the  orders. 

The  English  commander  might  have  occupied  the  neck  of  the 
peninsula  and  cut  off  the  entire  American   forces.      Instead,  he 


June  17,-] 
1775.    J 


BATTLE    OF    BUNKER    HILL. 


153 


E     A 


landed  at  Morton's  Point  with  about  two  thousand  men,  intending 
to  march  along  the  Mystic  river  and  thus  outflank  the  American 
line.  Prescott  sent  a  Connecticut  regiment  to  check  this  move 
ment.  They  took  post  behind  a  low  stone  wall  and  rail  fence,  in 
front  of  which  they  placed  a  second  fence,  filling  the  space  between 
with  new-mown  hay.  The  artillery  was  stationed  in  the  gap 
between  the  rail  fence  and  breastwork.  Ward,  fearing  an  attack 
at  Cambridge,  refused  to  send  reinforcements,  but  patriots  singly 
and  in  squads  dared  the  passage  of  the  Charlestown  peninsula, 
now  raked  by  the  enemy's  fire,  and  came  to  the  aid  of  their 
countrymen.  Pomeroy,  an  old  man  of  seventy,  leaving  his 
horse,  which  was  a  borrowed  one,  lest  it  might  be  killed  on  the 
way,  shouldered  a  musket,  and  came  on  foot  into  the  lines.  Dr. 
Warren,  who  had  just  received  his  commission  as  major-general, 
reached  the  redoubt  and  served  as  a  volunteer.  Stark  and  his 
New  Hampshire  men  took  post  with  the  Connecticut  regiment, 
rapidly  extending  their  line  down  to  the  river.  Prescott  sent  back 
the  entrenching 
tools  to  General 
Putnam,  who  was 
planning  to  fortify 
Bunker  Hill,  but 
the  tired  men  who 
carried  them  took 
advantage  of  the 
opportunity  and 
ran  to  the  rear. 

Howe,  seeing 
the  strength  of 
the  American 
position,  prudent 
ly  waited  for  rein 
forcements.  On 

their  arrival,  he  formed  his  men.  It  was  a  moment  of  terrible  sus 
pense.  The  neighboring  hills,  the  streets  and  roofs  of  Boston  were 
crowded  with  anxious  spectators.  On  the  one  side  were  fifteen 
hundred  undisciplined  yeomen,  weary  with  their  night's  labor, 
hungry  and  thirsty,  under  a  leader  of  no  acknowledged  reputation  ; 
on  the  other,  three  thousand  picked  troops,  richly  uniformed  and 
equipped  ;  officers  and  men  who  had  won  victories  on  many  of  the 
famous  battlefields  of  Europe.  The  British  slowly  ascended  the 


BATTLE  OF 
BUNKER  HILL 


154 


OPENING    OF    THE    WAR. 


fJune  17,. 
L     1775. 


hill,  breaking  their  ranks  only  to  throw  down  the  fences  and  to 
pass  the  obstructions  which  lay  in  their  way.  As  they  drew  near 
they  opened  a  heavy  fire,  while  all  the  time  ships  and  floating  bat 
teries  never  ceased  raining  shot  and  shell  upon  the  patriot  lines. 
Prescott  had  instructed  his  men  to  wait  until  they  could  "  see 
the  whites  of  their  enemies'  eyes  "  before  firing,  and  then  "  aim 
at  their  waistbands."  The  patriot  ranks  lay  quietly  behind  their 


earthworks  until  the  British 
were  within  ten  rods,  every 
piece  sighted  and  pointed  at 
its  victim.  Suddenly  Pres 
cott,  waving  his  sword,  shout 
ed,  "  Fire  !  "  A  blaze  of  light 
shot  from  the  whole  line  ;  soon 
another;  and  then  another. 
Entire  platoons  went  down 
before  the  terrible  storm. 

The  survivors,  unwilling  to  fly,  stood  among  the  dead,  bewil 
dered,  paralyzed,  by  the  shock.  At  last,  the  bugles  sounded  the 
recall  and  they  fell  back  to  the  shore. 

After  a  brief  delay,  Howe  rallied  his  men  and  advanced  a 
second  time  under  cover  of  the  smoke  of  Charlestown,  which  had 
been  fired  by  his  orders.  Again  they  met  that  deadly  discharge 
and  again  recoiled  in  dismay. 


THE  BAYONET  CHARGE  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


Ju,n7e757']  BATTLE    OF    BUNKER    HILL.  155 

Clinton  came  with  reinforcements  from  Boston,  and  a  third 
attempt  was  now  made.  The  British  soldiers  threw  off  their 
knapsacks  and  moved  at  the  quickstep,  with  orders  to  use  the 
bayonet  only.  The  artillery  was  brought  to  bear  on  the  fatal  gap 
between  the  breastwork  and  the  rail  fence.  The  defenders  of  the 
former  were  quickly  driven  into  the  redoubt.  This  was  attacked 
on  three  sides  at  once.  The  ammunition  was  scarce  in  the 
American  ranks.  Only  one  volley  smote  the  British  ;  the  head 
of  their  column  was  torn  in  pieces,  but  the  main  body  poured 
over  the  ramparts,  driving  all  before  it.  Even  yet  the  patriots 
sturdily  resisted  ;  most,  having  no  bayonets,  clubbed  their  mus 
kets  and  disputed  every  inch.  As  a  sample  of  the  spirit  of  the 
day,  one  Salmon  Steele  is  quoted,  who,  as  he  was  leaving  the 
redoubt,  stumbled  over  a  dead  British  soldier.  On  opening  his 
enemy's  cartridge-box  and  finding  only  one  round  was  used,  he 
strapped  the  box  to  his  side,  and  fired  the  remaining  ammunition 
with  deadly  aim  before  he  left  the  field.  Saddest  of  all  that  day's 
losses,  Warren  was  shot  by  a  British  officer  who  knew  him,  as  he 
was  trying  to  rally  his  men.  Stark,  at  the  rail  fence,  when  he 
saw  the  redoubt  taken,  sullenly  retired.  The  British  regi 
ments,  wounded  and  shattered,  were  unable  to  continue  the 
pursuit.  Putnam,  collecting  the  fugitives,  held  Prospect  Hill, 
scarce  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  the  battle-field.  The  English  had  lost 
over  a  thousand  men,  the  Americans  but  four  hundred  and  fifty. 
Sorrowful  was  the  sight  the  sun  beheld  as  it  sank  to  rest.  Where 
but  the  day  before  the  mower  had  quietly  swung  the  scythe,  the 
dead  now  lay  "  thick  as  sheep  in  the  fold." 

The  effect  of  this  battle  upon  the  patriot  cause  was  that  of  a 
victory.  It  had  been  proven  that  American  farmers  could  stand 
firmly  before  the  muskets  of  British  regulars.  The  struggle  for 
liberty  might  be  a  severe  one,  but  there  was  a  chance  for  suc 
cess.  "  Americans  will  fight,"  Franklin  wrote  ;  "  England  has 
lost  her  colonies  forever."  "  Did  the  militia  stand  fire  ?  "  inquired 
Washington.  When  he  learned  that  they  not  only  did  that,  but 
withheld  their  own  until  the  British  were  within  ten  rods,  he 
exclaimed,  "  The  liberties  of  the  country  are  safe."  From  ridi 
cule  of  American  pretension,  the  British  were  suddenly  startled 
into  respect  for  American  valor.  The  troops  who  expected  to 
crush  the  "  impudent  rebels  "  in  one  easy  charge,  now  boasted  of 
their  courage  in  advancing  against  so  murderous  a  foe,  and  took 
credit  for  a  bravery  to  which,  it  was  averred,  "  no  history  could 


156  OPENING    OF    THE    WAR.  [J17753' 

produce  a  parallel."  The  colonists  had  at  least  compelled  an 
acknowledgment  of  their  claim  to  a  decent  regard. 

News  of  the  fight  at  Bunker  Hill  reached  Philadelphia  on  the 
22d.  The  next  day  Washington  set  out  for  Cambridge  to  take 
command  of  the  army.  On  Monday,  July  3,  beneath  the  spread 
ing  elm  since  so  famous  in  song  and  story,  he  formally  assumed  the 
command.  Washington  is  described  at  this  time  as  a  tall,  finely- 
proportioned,  dignified  man,  with ,  a  strikingly  noble  and  com 
manding  air.  Mrs.  Adams,  who  was  present,  wrote  thus  to  her 
husband  :  "  Those  lines  of  Dry  den  instantly  recurred  to  me  : 

1  Mark  his  majestic  fabric  !     His  a  temple 
Sacred  by  birth,  and  built  by  hands  divine  ; 
His  soul's  the  Deity  that  lodges  there: 
Nor  is  the  pile  unworthy  of  the  God.'  " 

According  to  the  fashion  of  his  time,  he  was  dressed  in  a  blue 
broadcloth  coat  faced  with  buff,  buff  small-clothes,  silk  stockings, 
shoulder  epaulettes,  and  a  cocked  hat.  As  he  wheeled  his  horse 
and  drew  his  sword,  a  shout  of  enthusiasm  went  up  from  the 
assembled  multitude. 

He  found  the  army  numbering  about  fourteen  thousand.  It 
was  an  army,  however,  only  in  name.  In  fact,  it  was  merely  an 
immense  "  gathering  of  neighbors,  schoolmates,  and  friends," 
each  with  his  own  musket,  powder-horn,  and  bag  of  bullets,  and 
only  such  provisions  as  he  had  brought  with  him  or  as  were 
sent  into  camp  by  his  friends  and  others.  Some  of  these  had 
left  home  on  the  impulse  of  excitement,  and  already  wearied  of 
the  monotony  and  peril  of  war.  There  were  bitter  jealousies 
growing  out  of  the  appointment  of  the  higher  officers  by  Con 
gress.  Many  of  the  inferior  officers  were  grossly  inefficient, 
insubordinate,  and  over-confident.  Few  of  the  companies  were 
disciplined  or  uniformed.  Powder  was  so  scarce  that  there  was 
only  enough  to  furnish  nine  cartridges  to  each  man.  "  Our  situa 
tion  in  the  article  of  powder  is  much  more  alarming  than  I  had 
the  faintest  idea  of,"  wrote  Washington  to  Congress.  Reed, 
Washington's  secretary,  reported  that  "  almost  the  whole  powder 
of  the  army  was  in  the  cartridge-boxes."  "  The  bay  is  open  : 
everything  thaws  here,  except  Old  Put,"  facetiously  wrote 
another ;  "  he  is  still  as  hard  as  ever,  crying  out  for  '  Powder, 
powder  !  Ye  gods,  give  us  powder  ! ' '  Washington  immedi 
ately  set  about  organizing  the  troops  and  reforming  abuses, 


SIEGE    OF    BOSTON.  157 

meanwhile  strengthening  their  position  against  any  attempt  of 
Gage  to  break  out  of  Boston.  Fortunately,  such  was  the  dis 
couragement  of  the  British  leader  that  he  never  ventured  even  to 
make  a  sally.  The  provincial  lines  were  nearly  nine  miles  in 
length.  Washington  himself  took  command  of  the  centre,  Gen 
eral  Ward  of  the  right  wing,  and  General  Charles  Lee,  a  former 
British  officer  who  had  espoused  the  patriot  cause,  of  the  left. 

The  first  troops  raised  under  the  order  of  Congress  were  the 
Virginia  riflemen.  In  less  than  sixty  days,  says  Bancroft,  twelve 
companies  were  in  Washington's  camp,  having  come  on  foot  from 
four  to  eight  hundred  miles.  The  men,  painted  in  the  guise  of 
savages,  were  strong  and  of  great  endurance ;  many  of  them 
more  than  six  feet  high  ;  they  wore  leggins  and  moccasins,  and 
an  ash-colored  hunting-shirt  with  a  double  cape ;  each  one 
carried  a  rifle,  a  hatchet,  a  small  axe,  and  a  hunter's  knife.  They 
could  subsist  on  a  little  parched  corn  and  game  killed  as  they 
went  along ;  at  night,  wrapped  in  their  blankets,  they  willingly 
made  a  tree  their  canopy,  the  earth  their  bed.  The  rifle  in  their 
hands  sent  its  ball  with  unerring  precision  a  distance  of  two  or 
three  hundred  yards.  Their  motto  was,  "  LIBERTY  OR  DEATH." 
Newspapers  of  the  day  relate  how  they  offered  to  shoot  apples 
off"  one  another's  heads  in  true  William  Tell  style  ;  how  one  man 
at  sixty  paces  put  eight  balls  through  a  paper  the  size  of  a  dollar ; 
and  another  stuck  his  knife  into  a  tree,  and  firing,  halved  his 
bullet  upon  the  edge. 

During  the  summer  and  fall  there  was  constant  skirmishing 
around  Boston.  Transports  bearing  stores  to  the  beleaguered 
troops  were  seized.  Parties  gathering  hay  and  other  supplies  on 
the  islands  in  the  bay  were  attacked  in  the  boldest  manner.  The 
English  ships  along  the  coast  began  a  predatory  warfare  which 
did  little  harm,  but  bitterly  exasperated  the  people.  On  Octo 
ber  1 6,  Captain  Mo  watt  burned  the  town  of  Falmouth,  now 
Portland,  declaring  that  he  had  orders  to  destroy  every  seaport 
between  Boston  and  Halifax. 

While  all  these  stirring  events  were  transpiring  around  Bos 
ton,  the  cause  of  liberty  was  kindling  into  life  in  the  other 
colonies.  In  April,  Dunmore,  the  detested  governor  of  Virginia, 
imitating  the  action  of  Gage  of  Massachusetts,  seized  the  powder 
in  the  magazine  at  Williamsburg.  This  overt  act  aroused 
general  indignation.  Patrick  Henry  headed  the  people  in  a  call 
upon  the  governor,  and  they  did  not  come  away  until  he  had 


158 


OPENING    OF    THE    WAR. 


promised  to  pay  for  the  powder.  The  amount  given,  fifteen 
hundred  dollars,  was  afterward  found  to  be  too  large,  and  the 
balance  was  returned  to  Dunmore.  The  governor,  alarmed  by 
the  situation  of  affairs,  fortified  his  residence  and  issued  a  procla 
mation  against  Henry 
and  his  compatriots. 
Some  letters  of  the 
governor's,  grossly  mis 
representing  the  colo 
nists,  were  afterward 
intercepted,  and  these 
adding  fuel  to  the  flame, 
he  was  forced  to  take 
refuge  on  board  a  royal 
vessel.  From  this  asy 
lum  he  valiantly  de 
clared  martial  law,  and 
called  upon  the  slaves 
to  leave  their  masters 
and  help  him  in  his 
emergency.  He  thus 
gathered  at  Norfolk  a 
small  force  of  blacks  and  royalists.  November  28,  the  Vir 
ginia  militia  came  over  to  Great  Bridge,  where  they  threw 
up  a  fortification  opposite  the  British  fort  built  to  defend  the 
approach  to  Norfolk.  A  few  days  after,  Dunmore,  with  the 
seamen  from  the  ships  and  a  mixed  crowd  of  royalists  and 
negroes,  came  out  to  drive  them  from  their  position.  The 
negroes  and  loyalists  stood  at  a  safe  distance,  while  the  regulars 
bravely  charged  down  the  narrow  causeway,  one  hundred  and 
sixty  yards  long,  at  the  end  of  which  was  the  entrenchment. 
The  fire  of  the  sharpshooters  was  terrific.  The  British  leader, 
Fordyce,  fell,  struck  by  fourteen  balls.  The  rest  fled,  leaving 
half  their  number  behind.  The  Virginians  lost  not  a  man,  and 
only  one  received  a  slight  wound.  After  the  firing  ceased,  they 
hastened  to  bring  in  their  wounded  foes  who  might  need  the 
surgeon's  aid.  So  little  did  the  British  understand  their  generous 
sympathy,  that  the  sufferers  shrank  from  their  approach,  expect 
ing  the  tomahawk  or  the  scalping-knife.  "  For  God's  sake,"  cried 
one,  "  don't  murder  us."  "  Put  your  arm  about  my  neck,"  was 
the  quiet  reply,  and  the  sturdy  Virginian,  who  had  just  laid 


THE   OLD    MAGAZINE   AT  WILLIAMSBURG. 


D,fc7'59']  EVENTS    IN    THE    SOUTH.  159 

down  his  rifle,  tenderly  supported  his  wounded  enemy  to  the 
breastworks.  Captain  Leslie,  who  commanded  the  negroes  and 
tories,  was  so  touched  by  the  gentle  act,  that  he  stepped  upon  the 
platform  of  the  fort  and  bowed  his  respectful  thanks  to  the 
"  shirtmen,"  whose  hearts  were  as  kind  as  their  souls  were  brave. 
The  next  night  the  British  abandoned  the  fort  and  fled  to  the 
protection  of  their  ships. 

On  New  Year's  day,  1776,  Dunmore  landed  troops  which  set 
fire  to  Norfolk,  the  richest  town  in  Virginia.  Finally,  abandoning 
the  Old  Dominion,  he  sailed  with  his  followers  for  the  West 
Indies.  Though  largely  monarchical  in  feeling  and  Episcopal  in 
worship,  Virginia  had  already  given  a  leader  to  the  Democratic 
and  Presbyterian  army  that  beleaguered  Boston.  By  this  last  act 
her  alienation  from  the  crown  was  made  complete. 

In  New  England  the  feeling  against  the  British  aggressions,  as 
we  have  seen,  was  strong  from  the  very  first.  This  was  natural, 
since  the  rigor  of  the  English  laws  pressed  most  heavily  upon 
that  part  of  the  country.  "  Here,"  says  Sabine,  "  were  the 
Roundheads,  who  met  England  in  the  workshops  and  on  the 
ocean."  Adams,  in  sight  of  the  ashes  of  Charlestown  and  the 
trenches  of  Bunker  Hill,  wrote  that  Congress  should  at  once 
adopt  a  constitution  and  provide  for  defence.  His  letters  were 
published  by  the  royalists  in  the  expectation  that  they  would 
destroy  his  reputation  and  influence  among  the  people. 

In  the  Middle  and  Southern  States  the  feeling  was  far  from 
unanimous.  Tories  were  thick  in  Maryland,  Pennsylvania,  South 
Carolina,  and  Georgia.  New  York  was  a  stronghold  of  the 
royalists,  and  it  was  long  doubtful  which  way  the  assembly  would 
eventually  go.  In  Queens  county  the  inhabitants,  by  a  vote  of 
more  than  three  to  one,  refused  to  send  delegates  to  the  Provin 
cial  Congress.  The  Delanceys  and  Phillipses  in  Westchester, 
staunch  friends  of  the  king  and  vast  land-holders,  so  influenced 
their  numerous  tenantry,  that  all  the  patriotism  of  Van  Court- 
landt  and  of  Morris  of  Morrisania  could  only  hold  a  nearly  equal 
balance. 

While  Washington  was  en  route  for  the  camp  at  Boston,  a 
complication  arose  at  New  York  which  curiously  illustrates  the 
condition  of  affairs  and  the  indecision  of  many  of  the  people.  "  At 
the  same  time  with  his  arrival,"  says  Sparks,  "  news  had  come 
that  Governor  Tryon  was  in  the  harbor,  just  arrived  from  Eng 
land,  and  would  land  that  day.  The  Provincial  Congress  were 


l6o  OPENING    OF    THE    WAR.  [M|?75°: 

a  good  deal  embarrassed  to  determine  how  to  act  on  this  occa 
sion  ;  for  though  they  had  thrown  off  all  allegiance  to  the 
authority  of  their  governor,  they  yet  professed  to  maintain 
loyalty  to  his  person.  They  finally  ordered  a  colonel  to  so  dis 
pose  of  his  militia  as  to  be  ready  to  receive  '  eitJier  the  General  or 
Governor  Tryon,  whichever  sJwuld  first  arrive,  and  wait  on  both  as 
well  as  circumstances  would  allow'  ' 

As  New  York  city  was  exposed  to  a  bombardment  from  the 
English  vessels,  the  merchants  were  often  exceeding  timid,  even 
when  their  sympathies  were  with  the  patriots.  Governor  Tryon 
had  announced  that  Lord  Dartmoor,  in  command  of  the  fleet,  had 
orders  to  consider  and  treat  any  city  taking  a  decisive  part,  as  in 
open  rebellion.  The  utmost  zeal  of  the  whigs  for  a  long  time 
made  little  head  against  the  fears  of  some  and  the  opposition  of 
others.  A  committee  of  public  safety,  however,  had  been  ap 
pointed.  The  tories  did  all  they  could  to  embarrass  any  action, 
and  to  furnish  the  British  ships  in  the  bay  with  information  and 
provisions.  At  last,  Congress  having  recommended  the  arrest  of 
any  person  whose  going  at  large  was  likely  to  endanger  the  safety 
of  the  colonies,  Governor  Tryon  took  alarm  and  went  on  board  a 
vessel.  Here  he  was  in  constant  intercourse  with  the  tories,  and 
encouraged  every  movement  of  hostility  to  the  patriot  cause. 

The  course  of  Pennsylvania  was  undecided,  since,  besides  its 
royalist  population,  it  was  a  Quaker  colony,  and  the  religious 
principles  of  the  people  forbade  any  forcible  resistance  to  the 
tyranny  of  their  rulers.  While  the  precipitate  action  of  Gage 
and  Dunmore  hurried  the  colonies  under  their  immediate 
authority  into  rebellion,  the  governors  of  Pennsylvania,  New 
Jersey,  Delaware,  and  Maryland  were  prudent  and  wisely 
watched  the  progress  of  affairs.  Hence  in  these  colonies  there 
was  little  disturbance,  and  the  people  quietly  waited  the  action  of 
the  British  government. 

North  Carolina  was  largely  whig  from  the  start.  The  regu 
lators  of  that  State  were  the  first  to  take  up  arms  to  secure  their 
rights.  As  early  as  May,  1775,  the  patriots  of  Mecklenburg 
county  met  at  Charlotte  and  declared  their  allegiance  to  king  and 
parliament  forever  ended.  The  Mecklenburg  Declaration  was 
issued  fourteen  months  before  the  Colonial  Congress  met  in  Phil 
adelphia  and  the  old  State-house  bell  rang  out  liberty  to  all  the 
land.  In  South  Carolina,  on  the  other  hand,  the  royalists  were 
numerous,  active,  and  probably  in  the  majority.  The  income  of 


July4,-| 
1775.  J 


THE    FEELING    TOWARD    ENGLAND. 


161 


the  planters  and  the  commerce  of  Charleston  itself  rested  upon 
raw  products  raised  and  shipped  to  England.  The  ties  of 
interest,  business,  and  friendly  relationship  all  bound  the  princi 
pal  men  to  the  mother  country.  War  would  sunder  these  at 
once.  Yet  the  patriots  of  this  colony,  which  had  so  much  at 
stake,  perilled  all,  drove  off  the  royal  governor,  fortified  Charles 
ton,  and  took  their  government  in  their  own  hands. 

Georgia  was  also  friendly  to  parliament,  and,  indeed,  was  not 
represented  in  the  Continental  Congress  until  the  second  session, 
delegates  being  elected  July  4,  1775. 

In  looking  back  upon  it  now,  the  action  of  Congress  seems  to 
us  to  have  been  timid  and  uncertain.  It  had  forwarded  a  second 
petition  to  the  British  government,  and  the  majority  still  fondly 
dreamed  of  reconciliation  with  England.  At  the  most,  said  they, 
a  single  campaign  will  show  the  king  the  folly  of  coercion.  The 
truth  is,  the  colonists  yet  clung  to  their  English  traditions  with 
wonderful  tenacity.  They  earnestly 
desired  a  settlement  of  their  diffi 
culties,  and  a  restoration  to  their 
old  situation.  They  hoped  only  for 
a  redress  of  certain  grievances,  and 
then  all  would  be  well.  Jefferson 
afterward  wrote  that  the  "  possibil 
ity  of  a  separation  from  England 
was  contemplated  with  affliction  by 
all."  Washington  said,  "  When  I 
first  took  command  of  the  army,  I 
abhorred  the  idea  of  independence ;"  and  John  Adams  even,  the 
very  palladium  of  American  independence,  declared  that  "  there 
was  not  a  moment  during  the  Revolution  when  I  would  not  have 
given  everything  I  possessed  for  a  restoration  to  the  state  of  things 
before  the  contest  began,  provided  we  could  have  a  sufficient 
guaranty  for  its  continuance."  Dickinson,  from  the  beginning 
the  patriot  leader  of  Pennsylvania,  opposed  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  in  1776  to  the  very  last.  Under  these  circum 
stances,  Congress  was  timorous.  Franklin's  plan  of  a  confedera 
tion,  considered  twenty-one  years  before,  in  Albany,  was  brought 
out  again,  but  laid  aside.  Troops  were  enlisted  only  until  an 
answer  could  be  expected  from  the  petition.  A  third  million 
dollars  in  paper  was  ordered  to  be  printed ;  but  Congress  had 
no  power  to  lay  taxes  of  any  kind  ;  while  commerce  was  dead,  and 
ii 


CONTINENTAL   MONEY. 


1 62  OPENING    OF    THE    WAR.  [1775. 

there  were  no  imports.  Promises  of  thirteen  colonies,  distracted 
by  war  and  internal  dissension,  to  pay  at  some  indefinite  time, 
were  sure  to  depreciate  from  the  beginning.  It  seemed  the  best, 
however,  that  could  be  done. 

Meanwhile  the  British  government  was  straining  every  nerve 
to  recruit  its  armies  in  America.  British  emissaries  were  busy 
among  the  Five  Nations  of  central  New  York  and  the  savage 
Indians  of  Canada,  urging  them  to  take  up  arms  against  the  colo 
nists.  The  "  Olive  Branch,"  as  the  petition  to  the  king  was  styled, 
was  rejected.  Trade  with  the  colonies  was  forbidden.  American 
vessels,  and  all  others  found  trading  in  American  ports,  with 
their  cargoes,  were  liable  to  seizure,  and  the  crews  to  be  treated 
as  slaves.  Treaties  were  made  with  certain  German  princes, 
who  promised  to  furnish  seventeen  thousand  men  for  the  Amer 
ican  war  at  thirty-six  dollars  per  head.  The  Landgrave  of  Hesse- 
Cassel  sent  the  largest  number,  hence  these  mercenaries  were 
called  Hessians. 

The  obstinacy  of  the  king,  the  refusal  even  to  hear  the  re 
spectful  petition  read  in  parliament,  the  passage  of  these  violent 
measures,  and  especially  the  hirirtg  of  foreign  mercenaries,  filled 
the  cup  of  England's  wrongs  to  her  colonies.  Separation  and  war 
were  inevitable. 

Congress  invited  the  other  British  colonies  in  America  to 
unite  with  them  in  asserting  their  rights.  As  Canada  refused  to 
take  part  in  the  movement,  and  British  forces  ascending  the  St. 
Lawrence  could  thence  attack  the  colonies  in  the  rear,  it  was  de 
cided,  if  possible,  to  wrest  that  country  from  the  crown.  Early  in 
the  summer  and  fall  of  1775,  General  Montgomery,  commanding 
an  expedition,  captured  St.  John's,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Champlain, 
within  the  Canadian  border.  Thence  pushing  on  to  Montreal,  he 
took  that  city,  and  advanced  through  the  ice  and  snow  of  Decem 
ber  upon  Quebec. 

Meanwhile  a  force  under  General  Arnold,  detached  from  the 
beleaguering  army  at  Boston,  had  ascended  the  Kennebec  River, 
and  made  its  way  northward  through  the  pathless  wilderness. 
With  this  indefatigable  leader  were  Morgan,  Greene,  Meigs,  and 
Aaron  Burr — then  a  young  man  of  twenty,  afterward  Vice-Presi- 
dent  of  the  United  States.  No  pen  can  describe  the  horrors  of 
their  march.  Making  their  way  with  infinite  toil ;  carrying  their 
boats,  baggage,  and  ammunition  past  the  rapids  and  marshy 
swamps ;  exposed  to  rain  and  storm ;  crossing  swollen  streams ; 


Nov.  10,1 
1775.  J 


SIEGE    OF    QUEBEC. 


barefooted  and  with  clothes  torn  almost  to  nakedness ;  cold,  wet, 
weary,  and  sick  ;  with  the  last  ox  killed  ;  the  last  dog  eaten  ;  then 
roots  and  moose-skin  moccasins  devoured  in  the  extremity  of 
hunger ;  finally,  after  two  days  of  starvation,  the  famished  troops 
emerged  among  the  Canadian  settlements.  On  the  loth  of  No 
vember  they  appeared  like  spectres  upon  the  banks  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  opposite  Quebec.  Morgan's  riflemen  wore  linen  hunt 
ing-shirts.  By  some  mistake,  in  the  news  of  their  coming,  the 
word  toile  became  changed  to  tole,  and  the  simple  peasants  heard 
to  their  amazement  that  the  advancing  army  were  clad  in  sheet- 
iron.  Securing  boats  with  the  greatest  difficulty,  Arnold  crossed 
the  river,  landed  in  the  same  cove  where  Wolfe  made  his  daring 
attempt,  and  climbed  to  the  Plains  of  Abraham.  He  here  sum 
moned  the  city  to  surrender;  but  in  vain.  Soon  after,  he  was 
joined  by  Montgomery,  who  took  the  command.  Their  com 
bined  forces  did  not  number  one  thousand  men  and  a  few  small 
cannon,  yet  they 
proposed  to  be 
siege  the  greatest 
fortified  city  in 
America,  mount 
ing  two  hundred 
guns  and  defend 
ed  by  an  army 
twice  as  large  as 
their  own.  But 
Montgomery  had 
been  a  companion 
of  Wolfe,  and  he 
emulated  his  glo 
rious  example. 
For  a  time  he  en 
deavored  to  pro 
voke  the  garrison  to  come  out  and  fight  in  the  open  field ;  but 
Carleton,  the  governor,  was  present  when  Montcalm  ventured  to 
leave  the  protection  of  the  walls,  and  he  did  not  propose  to 
repeat  the  rash  experiment.  Montgomery  was  forced  to  begin 
a  regular  siege.  The  ground  was  frozen  too  hard  to  trench  for 
planting  the  battery,  so  he  filled  the  gabions  and  fascines  with 
snow,  over  which  he  poured  water.  This  made  a  solid  rampart 
of  ice  to  protect  the  men  as  they  worked  the  guns.  Three 


THE    PRESCOTT   GATE,    QUEBEC. 


164  OPENING    OF    THE    WAR.  U^m*!* 

weeks  of  useless  labor  followed.  Perils  thickened.  The  artillery 
was  too  light  to  breach  the  walls ;  small-pox  and  other  diseases 
broke  out  among  the  troops ;  the  enlistment  of  the  men  had 
nearly  expired,  and  soon  the  army  would  break  up.  Montgom 
ery  decided  to  venture  all  upon  an  assault.  The  preparations 
were  carefully  made.  There  were  to  be  two  feigned  movements 
upon  the  upper  town  to  distract  the  attention  of  the  besieged, 
while  the  real  attacks  were  made  by  Montgomery  and  Arnold  on 
the  lower  town.  The  former  general  was  to  advance  along  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  the  latter,  the  St.  Charles  River,  and  both  were 
to  unite  in  storming  the  Prescott  Gate. 

It  was  the  last  morning  of  the  year  1775.  The  men  were  ready 
at  two  o'clock.  To  recognize  one  another  in  the  dark,  they  placed 
in  the  front  of  their  hats  bits  of  white  paper,  on  which  some  of 
them  wrote  Patrick  Henry's  words,  "  Liberty  or  Death."  It  was 
storming  bitterly  as  they  sallied  out  from  their  rude  huts,  and 
stumbled  through  and  against  the  cutting  hail  and  deep-driving 
snow.  They  tried  to  protect  their  guns  as  best  they  could,  but 
they  soon  became  useless.  Montgomery,  advancing  along  the 
river  at  the  foot  of  Cape  Diamond  Cliff,  helped  with  his  own  hands 
to  push  aside  the  huge  blocks  of  ice,  and,  struggling  through  the 
drifts,  cheered  on  his  panting  men.  As  they  rushed  forward,  a 
rude  block-house  appeared  through  the  blinding  storm.  "  Men  of 
New  York,"  he  shouted,  "  you  will  not  fear  to  follow  where  your 
general  leads."  Charging  upon  it,  he  fell  at  the  first  fire.  His 
followers,  disheartened,  fled.  Arnold,  in  the  meantime,  ap 
proached  the  opposite  side  of  the  city.  While  bravely  fighting 
he  was  severely  wounded  and  borne  to  the  rear.  Morgan,  his 
successor,  pressed  on  the  attack  with  his  riflemen ;  but  at  last, 
unable  to  retreat  or  advance  against  the  tremendous  odds,  now 
that  Montgomery's  assault  had  failed,  he  took  refuge  in  the  neigh 
boring  houses,  where  he  was  finally  forced  to  surrender.  The 
remainder  of  the  army,  crouching  behind  mounds  of  snow  and 
ice,  maintained  a  blockade  of  the  city  until  spring.  Congress, 
blindly  bent  on  keeping  up  the  useless  struggle,  ordered  Washing 
ton  to  send  his  best  men  and  officers,  and  to  divide  his  scanty 
supply  of  powder,  for  the  siege  of  Quebec.  It  was  in  vain.  The 
garrison  laughed  outright  as  they  saw  General  Wooster,  the  new 
commander,  in  his  big  wig,  spying  out  their  weak  points.  They 
knew  they  were  invincible. 

May  ist,  General  Thomas  assumed  control  of  the  blockading 


July,  "I 
1776  J 


ABANDONMENT    OF    CANADA. 


army.  He  decided  to  retreat.  It  was  already  too  late.  Rein 
forcements  from  England  were  fast  arriving  in  Quebec.  Before 
he  could  remove  his  sick  the  garrison  sallied  out  from  the  gates 
and  drove  his  men  in  confusion.  Many  of  the  sick,  amid  the 
hurry,  crept  off  among  the  Canadian  peasants,  who  nursed  them 
kindly,  while  Carleton  gave  them  the  privilege  of  entering  the 
hospital,  with  leave  to  return  home  when  they  were  fully  recov 
ered.  Thomas  dying  of  the  small-pox,  Sullivan  took  command. 
He  attempted  the  offensive,  but  was  soon  forced  to  resume  the 
retreat. 

It  was  not  until  July  that  the  fragments  of  the  army  of  Canada, 
then  under  Gates,  safely  reached  Crown  Point.  Terrible  was 
their  condition.  "  There  was  not  a  hut,"  says  Trumbull,  "  which 
did  not  contain  a  dead  or  dying  man  ;"  while  a  physician,  witness 
ing  the  arrival  of  the  sick,  declared  that  he  "  wept  at  their  suffer 
ings  until  he  could  weep  no  more." 


A  STREET  IN  QUEBEC— SCENE  OF  ARNOLD'S  ATTACK. 


CHAPTER    III. 


URING  the  winter  of  1775-6,  Con 
gress  and  the  country  were  impa 
tient  at  Washington's  inactivity. 
He  dared  not  make  known  his 
real  weakness.  He  could  not 
publish  the  facts :  that  for  six 
months  he  never  had  powder 
enough  for  a  battle;  that  the 
military  chest  was  empty,  the 
men  appointed  to  sign  the  paper- 
promises  being  too  lazy  to  do  the 
work ;  that  he  lacked  bayonets ; 
that  two  thousand  of  his  men  had 
no  muskets ;  that,  by  the  expiration  of  enlistments,  he  had  to  dis 
band  one  army  and  recruit  another ;  and  all  this  in  the  presence 
of  the  enemy.  Toward  the  close  of  December,  the  Connecticut 
troops,  having  served  their  time  of  enlistment,  determined  to 
leave  in  a  body.  Washington  was  greatly  hurt  by  this  lack  of 
patriotism.  He  tried  to  stimulate  their  zeal  by  frequent  appeals, 
and  made  the  camp  to  resound  with  popular  songs  of  heroism  and 
liberty.  But  it  was  all  in  vain.  "  The  desire  of  retiring  into  a 
chimney-corner  seizes  the  troops  as  soon  as  their  terms  expire," 
he  wrote  reproachfully.  So  little  sympathy  did  these  recreant 
troops  find  on  their  way  homeward  that  they  could  hardly  get 
enough  to  eat,  and  when  they  reached  their  own  firesides  they 
found  the  honest  indignation  of  their  patriot  wives  and  mothers 
a  so  much  harder  thing  to  face  than  the  mouth  of  the  enemy's 
cannon,  that  many  were  glad  soon  to  return  to  camp. 

Washington,  in  spite  of  all  these  discouragements,  resolutely 
laid  his  plans,  and  made  ready  for  a  grand  stroke  which  he  hoped 


Mf776.4f]  EVACUATION    OF    BOSTON.  1 67 

would  be  decisive.  On  the  4th  of  March,  just  after  the  candles 
were  lighted  in  the  houses  of  Boston,  he  suddenly  opened  a  tre 
mendous  fire  on  the  city  from  all  his  batteries.  The  enemy  replied. 
Soon  the  air  was  heavy  with  the  roar  of  the  guns,  and  the  streets 
were  full  of  citizens  and  soldiers  watching  the  flight  of  the  shells 
and  dreading  their  fall  and  explosion.  Under  cover  of  the  noise 
and  confusion,  Dorchester  Heights  were  occupied,  entrenchments 
thrown  up  with  bales  of  pressed  hay,  an  abattis  made  of  the  trees 
in  the  neighboring  orchards,  and  even  barrels  of  stone  provided 
to  roll  down  on  an  advancing  enemy.  In  the  morning  the  Eng 
lish  were  astonished  to  see  on  a  height  commanding  the  city  a 
formidable-looking  fortress  looming  indistinctly  through  the  ris 
ing  fog/'  "  The  rebels,"  exclaimed  Howe,  "have  done  more  work 
in  one  night  than  my  whole  army  would  have  done  in  a  month." 
"  We  must  drive  them  from  that  post,"  said  Colonel  Monckton, 
"or  desert  the  place."  A  storm  prevented  an  immediate  attack, 
a  delay  which  was  well  improved  by  the  provincials.  General 
Howe,  who  was  then  in  command,  remembering  the  lesson  of 
Bunker  Hill,  decided  to  leave.  Indeed,  there  was  no  alternative. 
The  British  troops  had  no  stomach  for  another  fight.  The  Amer 
ican  cannon  completely  commanded  the  harbor,  and  the  admiral 
refused  to  remain.  Gage  accordingly  set  sail  for  Halifax  on  the 
1 7th  with  his  entire  army  and  about  eleven  hundred  loyalists. 
Washington's  end  was  accomplished,  and  not  twenty  men  had 
been  lost  since  he  took  command. 

It  was  a  bitter  pill  for  the  English.  The  generals  who  had 
come  expecting  to  run  over  the  colonies  at  their  pleasure,  and 
had  even  brought  with  them  fishing-rods,  as  if  on  a  holiday  ex 
cursion,  had,  instead,  been  cooped  up  close  to  their  landing-place 
for  months,  and  were  now  forced  to  ignominiously  leave  their 
winter-quarters,  and  to  lower  their  flag  without  the  satisfaction 
of  firing  a  parting  shot.  But  how  sad  was  it  for  the  loyalists 
who  had  clung  to  the  king,  and  now,  startled  by  finding  the  army 
unable  to  protect  them,  were  suddenly  forced  to  leave  native 
land,  home,  and  property,  and  henceforth  to  drag  out  a  useless 
life  on  a  dreary  shore,  pensioners  on  the  bounty  which  the  gov 
ernment  pityingly  doled  out  to  them  in  their  distress ! 

For  eleven  months  the  inhabitants  had  endured  the  horrors  of 
a  siege  and  the  insolence  of  the  soldiery.  Houses  and  shade- 
trees  had  been  burned  for  fuel.  The  Old  North  Meeting-House 
had  thus  passed  into  ashes,  the  Old  South  being  reserved  for  a 


1 68  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR.  [Fei776.7' 

riding-school.  An  elegantly  carved  pew  with  silk  hangings, 
belonging  to  the  latter,  was  taken  by  one  of  the  officers  for  a  pig 
sty.  .  Faneuil  Hall  was  converted  into  a  theatre.  One  evening, 
before  a  house  packed  with  troops  and  tories,  a  play  was  in  pro 
gression  called  "  The  Blockade  of  Boston,"  being  a  broad  bur 
lesque  on  the  patriot  army.  Washington  herein  appeared  as  "  an 
awkAvard  lout,  equipped  with  a  huge  wig  and  a  long  rusty  sword, 
attended  by  a  country  booby  as  orderly  sergeant,  in  rustic  garb, 
with  an  old  firelock  seven  or  eight  feet  long."  It  was  very  funny, 
and  when  a  British  sergeant  suddenly  came  to  the  front,  exclaim 
ing  in  excited  tones,  "  The  Yankees  are  attacking  Bunker's  Hill !  " 
it  was  loudly  applauded  as  a  piece  of  magnificent  acting.  But, 
directly,  the  clear,  commanding  voice  of  General  Howe  rang 
out,  "  Officers,  to  your  alarm-posts."  The  scene  was  quickly 
changed.  Women  shrieked  and  fainted ;  men  jumped  to  their 
feet ;  everybody  scrambled  over  everybody  else  to  reach  the 
open  door.  The  ridiculous  general  and  his  frowsy  sergeant  were 
left  upon  the  stage  to  tumble  out  of  their  clownish  masquerades 
as  best  they  might,  while  the  soldier  audience  hastened  with 
quite  different  expectations  to  meet,  perhaps,  the  real  Washing 
ton.  But  it  proved  to  be  General  Putnam,  who,  swooping  down 
upon  Charlestown,  fired  the  guard-house,  took  a  handful  of  pris 
oners,  and  escaped,  without  loss,  back  to  the  American  quarters. 

All  this  was  now  passed.  Those  who  had  been  so  long  exiled 
from  their  homes  returned  to  the  city.  Ancient  customs  were 
renewed.  We  read  how  on  Thursday  evening  following,  Wash 
ington  attended  the  regular  week-day  lecture,  and  the  congrega 
tion  together  thanked  God  for  the  restoration  of  their  beloved 
Zion,  its  "  stakes  unmoved  "  and  its  "  cords  unbroken."  "  It 
seemed,"  says  Bancroft,  "  as  if  the  old  century  was  reaching  out 
its  hands  to  the  new,  and  the  Puritan  ancestry  of  Massachusetts 
were  returning  to  bless  the  deliverer  of  their  children." 

Governor  Martin  of  North  Carolina,  following  in  the  footsteps 
of  Dunmore,  sought  to  combine  the  friends  of  the  king,  and  thus 
check  the  rising  tide  of  liberty  in  his  State.  He  accordingly 
authorized  Donald  McDonald,  a  noted  Highlander  at  Cross 
Creek,  now  Fayetteville,  to  raise  the  loyalists  of  that  region. 
Soon  fifteen  hundred  had  gathered  about  the  standard  of  this 
faithful  Scotchman.  The  patriots,  however,  were  awake.  Colonel 
Moore,  with  a  large  body  of  regulars  and  militia,  approached  his 
headquarters  and  cut  off  all  his  communications  with  Governor 


Feb.  27,1 
1776.    J 


AFFAIRS    IN    NORTH    CAROLINA. 


169 


Martin.  McDonald,  finding  he  could  not  intimidate  the  "  rebels," 
thereupon  rapidly  retreated  toward  Wilmington,  where  he 
hoped  to  join  the  governor  and  also  await  General  Clinton,  who 
was  expected  to  arrive  from  the  North  with  reinforcements.  At 
Moore's  Creek,  however,  he  found  his  retreat  cut  off  by  Colonels 
Caswell  and  Lillington  with  one  thousand  minute-men.  The 


BOSTON   ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   AGO. 


brave  Highlander  resolved  to  cut  his  way  through  the  gathering 
foes.  Early  in  the  morning  of  February  27,  to  the  sound  of  bag 
pipes  and  bugle,  the  royalists  advanced  to  the  charge.  When 
within  twenty  paces,  the  whigs  rose  from  their  ambush,  while 
another  party  under  Lieutenant  Slocum,  by  a  circuit  came  upon 
the  enemy's  rear.  In  a  few  minutes  the  tory  army  was  utterly 
routed,  with  a  loss  of  seventy  killed  and  wounded,  while  the 
patriots  had  only  two  of  their  number  injured.  This  battle  de 
cided  the  fate  of  the  royal  cause  in  North  Carolina  ;  and  soon 
after  the  governor  took  refuge  on  a  British  vessel. 

An  anecdote  is  told  of  the  wife  of  Lieutenant  Slocum,  who 
was  as  heroic  as  himself.  After  her  husband  departed,  she  saw 
him  in  a  dream  lying  dead  on  the  ground.  Awaking  in  great 
distress,  she  arose,  saddled  a  horse,  and  rode  at  full  gallop 
through  the  swamp  in  the  direction  taken  by  the  troops.  At  nine 
in  the  morning  she  neared  the  battle-field.  One  of  the  first 
objects  she  saw  was  the  lieutenant's  cloak  wrapped  around  a 
body  stretched  upon  the  ground.  With  sinking  heart,  she  dis- 


1 70  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR.  [JT776.8f 

mounted,  to  find,  not  her  husband,  but  one  of  his  wounded  men. 
She  washed  his  face,  bound  up  his  wounds,  and  was  performing 
the  like  office  to  a  second  sufferer  when  her  astonished  husband 
came  up.  She  remained  all  day,  caring  for  the  wounded  loyalists 
with  true  Samaritan  kindness.  At  midnight  she  started  for  her 
home,  where  a  mother's  duties  were  required.  In  less  than  forty 
hours  this  wonderful  woman  rode  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
miles,  spending  the  time  when  out  of  her  saddle,  not  in  taking 
rest,  but  in  dressing  the  wounds  of  her  enemies. 

Though  the  British  had  abandoned  Boston,  they  had  not  given 
up  the  war.  The  next  movement  was  destined  for  the  South. 
Early  in  June,  Admiral  Parker  appeared  off  the  harbor  of 
Charleston  with  a  strong  fleet,  having  on  board  General  Clinton 
with  about  twenty-five  hundred  land  troops.  The  South  Caro 
linians  had  received  news  of  their  probable  coming,  and  were 
hard  at  work  getting  ready  to  give  their  unwelcome  visitors  a 
hot  reception.  Fort  Sullivan,  a  fort  on  an  island  of  the  same  name, 
commanded  the  entrance  to  the  harbor.  It  was  built  of  two  rows 
of  palmetto  logs,  sixteen  feet  apart,  the  space  between  being  filled 
with  sand.  Major-General  Charles  Lee,  who  had  been  sent  by 
Washington  to  watch  the  seaboard,  had  no  confidence  in  this  rude 
fortress,  and  was  anxious  to  have  it  abandoned.  He  declared  that 
it  was  but  a  "  slaughter  pen,"  provided  only  twenty-eight  rounds 
of  ammunition  for  twenty-six  of  its  guns,  and  repeatedly  urged 
the  necessity  of  securing  the  retreat  of  the  garrison.  But  the 
brave  Carolinians  proposed  to  hold  the  place.  "  What  do  you 
think  of  it  now  ?  "  said  an  officer  to  Colonel  Moultrie,  as  they 
were  surveying  the  British  line  of  ships,  all  of  which  were 
already  over  the  bar.  "  We  shall  beat  them,"  was  the  determined 
reply.  "  The  men-of-war  will  knock  your  fort  down  in  half  an 
hour,"  returned  the  other.  "  Then,"  said  Moultrie,  nothing 
daunted,  "  we  will  lie  behind  the  ruins  and  prevent  their  men 
from  landing." 

On  the  morning  of  the  28th  the  British  fleet  took  position  and 
opened  a  terrific  fire.  The  balls  sank  into  the  porous,  spongy 
palmetto  logs  without  breaking  or  splintering  them.  Moultrie 
slowly  replied,  but  each  shot  told,  and  the  ships  in  a  few  hours 
were  completely  riddled.  At  one  time,  every  man  except 
Admiral  Parker  was  swept  from  the  deck  of  his  vessel.  In  the 
early  part  of  the  action  the  staff  was  struck  by  a  ball,  and  the 
flag,  the  first  Republican  banner  hoisted  at  the  South,  fell  out- 


June  28,  T 
1776.      J 


ATTACK    ON    FORT    MOULTRIE. 


171 


THE  ATTACK  ON  FORT  MOULTRIE. 


side  the  fort. 
Sergeant  Jas 
per      leaped 
over    the    breastwork, 
about  which   the  balls 
were  thickly  flying,  caught  up 
the    flag,   and   springing    back, 
tied   it   to   a   sponge   staff  and 
hoisted  it  again  to  its  place.     Gen 
eral  Clinton,   who   commanded  the 

British  land  troops,  tried  to  attack  the  fort  in  the  rear,  but  Thom 
son's  riflemen,  posted  behind  myrtle  bushes  and  sand  hills,  made 
it  too  hot  for  him.  The  fleet  was  at  last  so  badly  shattered  that 
it  withdrew  and  sailed  for  New  York.  This  victory  gave  the 
colonists  great  delight,  as  it  was  their  first  encounter  with  the 
boasted  "  mistress  of  the  seas."  The  fort  so  gallantly  defended 
was  christened  Moultrie.  It  had  saved  not  only  a  city,  but  a 
province.  The  next  day  Governor  Rutledge  offered  the  brave 
Jasper  a  sword  and  a  lieutenant's  commission.  He  modestly 
refused  the  latter,  saying,  "  I  am  not  fit  for  the  company  of  officers  ; 
I  am  content  to  be  a  sergeant." 

Gradually,  but  surely,  the  colonists  were  being  weaned  from 
the  mother  country.  Day  by  day  for  nearly  a  year  the  sword 
had  been  busy,  cutting  the  ties  which  had  so  long  bound  them  to 


1/2  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR.  [J|7762' 

Great  Britain.  Since  the  king  had  pronounced  them  "  rebels," 
the  feeling  had  been  gaining  ground  that  independence  was  the 
only  hope.  No  one  did  better  work  toward  accomplishing  this 
result  than  Thomas  Paine,  who,  coming  from  England  the  year 
before,  had  been  induced  by  Franklin  and  others  to  use  his  pen 
in  behalf  of  the  colonists.  His  first  essay,  entitled  Common  Sense, 
in  plain,  simple  language  urged  the  necessity  of  at  once  separat 
ing  entirely  from  England.  Every  line  glowed  with  the  spirit  of 
liberty,  and  men's  hearts  were  thrilled  as  they  read.  The  pam 
phlet  reached  Congress,  then  in  session  at  Philadelphia,  January  8, 
the  day  after  the  news  had  arrived  of  the  burning  of  Norfolk  by 
Dunmore.  It  produced  a  powerful  impression.  Washington, 
writing  to  Secretary  Reed,  says :  "  A  few  more  such  flaming 
arguments  as  were  exhibited  at  Falmouth  and  Norfolk,  added  to 
the  sound  doctrine  and  unanswerable  reasoning  contained  in 
'  Common  Sense,'  will  not  leave  numbers  at  a  loss  to  decide." 

In  April,  at  the  opening  of  the  courts  in  South  Carolina,  the 
chief  justice  charged  the  jury  that  they  "  owed  no  obedience  to 
George  III."  The  British  flag  kept  its  place  on  the  State-house 
of  Virginia  until  May  of  this  year,  when  the  assembly  directed 
the  Virginia  delegate  in  Congress  to  propose  a  dissolution  of 
their  allegiance  to  Great  Britain.  Washington  wrote  that 
"nothing  but  independence  could  save  the  nation."  Accordingly 
on  the  /th  of  June,  Richard  Henry  Lee  offered  a  resolution 
declaring  that  "  THESE  UNITED  COLONIES  ARE,  AND  OF  RIGHT 

OUGHT    TO    BE,    FREE    AND    INDEPENDENT    STATES."      It   was   SCC- 

onded  by  John  Adams.  After  a  little  discussion  from  the  dele 
gates  of  several  colonies,  who  were  pledged  to  vote  against 
independence,  a  committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Thomas 
Jefferson,  John  Adams,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Roger  Sherman,  and 
Robert  R.  Livingston,  to  propose  a  suitable  Declaration  ;  Jefferson 
representing  Virginia,  from  which  the  proposition  emanated,  and, 
being  elected  by  the  largest  number  of  votes,  was  selected  to 
draft  it.  Meanwhile,  the  delegates  from  the  different  colonies 
received  instructions  from  their  constituents  how  to  vote  upon 
the  measure.  July  2d,  Lee's  resolution  was  formally  passed  by 
twelve  of  the  colonies  ;  New  York  alone  abstaining  from  the  vote. 
Two  days  after,  the  Declaration  having  been  closely  debated  by 
Congress,  was  adopted  with  but  few  amendments. 

While  the  protracted  and  oftentimes  severe  discussions  over 
the  Declaration  were  in  progress,  Jefferson  remained  silent ;  John 


J|7764']  DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE.  1/3 

Adams  being  its  stout  defender.  "  During-  the  debate,"  the 
former  wrote  in  his  journal,  "  I  was  sitting  by  Dr.  Franklin,  who 
observed  that  I  was  writhing  a  little  under  the  acrimonious  criti 
cism  of  some  of  its  parts  ;  and  it  was  on  that  occasion  that,  by 
way  of  comfort,  he  told  me  the  story  of  John  Thompson,  the 
hatter,  and  his  new  sign."  All  readers  of  Franklin's  autobiography 
will  remember  the  story  :  how  the  prospective  shopkeeper,  with 
much  pride,  laid  out  his  plan  for  a  sign,  "  John  Thompson,  hatter, 
makes  and  sells  hats  for  ready  money,"  accompanied  by  a  picture 
of  the  article ;  and  how  his  critical  friends  picked  first  at  this 
word  and  then  at  that  as  superfluous,  till  the  dismayed  shopman 
had  nothing  left  but  his  name  and  the  painted  hat.  The  point  was 
too  obvious  not  to  be  enjoyed,  especially  when  told  in  Franklin's 
happy  style. 

During  the  day  of  the  4th  the  streets  of  Philadelphia  were 
crowded  with  people  anxious  to  learn  the  decision.  In  the  steeple 
of  the  old  State-house  was  a  bell 
which,  by  a  strange  coincidence, 
was  inscribed,  "  Proclaim  liberty 
throughout  all  the  land  unto  all  the 
inhabitants  thereof."  In  the  morn 
ing,  when  Congress  assembled,  the 
bell-ringer  went  to  his  post,  placing 
his  boy  below  to  announce  when  the 
Declaration  was  adopted,  that  his 
bell  might  be  the  first  to  peal  forth 
the  glad  tidings.  Long  he  waited  as 
the  day  wore  on  and  the  tedious  de 
liberations  held  the  result  in  sus 
pension.  Impatiently  the  old  man 
shook  his  head  and  repeated,  "  They  will  never  do  it !  They  will 
never  do  it !  "  Suddenly  he  heard  his  boy  clapping  his  hands  and 
shouting,  "  Ring!  Ring!  "  Grasping  the  iron  tongue,  he  swung 
it  vigorously  to  and  fro.  The  crowded  streets  caught  up  the 
sound.  Every  steeple  re-echoed  it.  All  that  night,  by  shouts, 
and  illuminations,  and  booming  of  cannon,  the  people  declared 
their  zeal  and  joy. 

"  There  was  tumult  in  the  city, 

In  the  quaint  old  Quakers'  town, 

And  the  streets  were  rife  with  people, 

Pacing  restless  up  and  down  ; — 


LIBERTY    BELL. 


1/4  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR.  [J|776*' 

People  gathering  at  corners, 

Where  they  whispered  each  to  each, 
And  the  sweat  stood  on  their  temples, 

With  the  earnestness  of  speech. 

"  As  the  bleak  Atlantic  currents 

Lash  the  wild  Newfoundland  shore, 
So  they  beat  against  the  State-house, 

So  they  surged  against  the  door; 
And  the  mingling  of  their  voices 

Made  a  harmony  profound, 
Till  the  quiet  street  of  Chestnut 

Was  all  turbulent  with  sound. 

"  '  Will  they  do  it  ? '     '  Dare  they  do  it  ? ' 

'  Who  is  speaking  ? '     '  What's  the  news  ? ' 
'  What  of  Adams  ? '     '  What  of  Sherman  ?  ' 

'  Oh,  God  grant  they  won't  refuse  ! ' 
'  Make  some  way  there  ! '     '  Let  me  nearer !' 
'  I  am  stifling  !'     '  Stifle,  then  ! 
When  a  nation's  life's  at  hazard, 
We've  no  time  to  think  of  men  !' 

"  So  they  beat  against  the  portal, 

Man  and  woman,  maid  and  child  ; 
And  the  July  sun  in  heaven 

On  the  scene  look'd  down  and  smiled  ; 
The  same  sun  that  saw  the  Spartan 

Shield  his  patriot  blood  in  vain, 
Now  beheld  the  soul  of  freedom 

All  unconquer'd  rise  again. 

"  See  !  See  !    The  dense  crowd  quivers 

Through  all  its  lengthy  line, 
As  the  boy  beside  the  portal 

Looks  forth  to  give  the  sign  ! 
With  his  small  hands  upward  lifted, 

Breezes  dallying  with  his  hair, 
Hark  !  with  deep,  clear  intonation, 

Breaks  his  young  voice  on  the  air. 

"  Hush'd  the  people's  swelling  murmur, 

List  the  boy's  strong,  joyous  cry  ! 
'  Ring  !  '  he  shouts,  '  RING  !  Grandpa, 
'  RING  !  OH,  RING  FOR  LIBERTY  ! ' 
And  straightway,  at  the  signal, 

The  old  bellman  lifts  his  hand, 
And  sends  the  good  news,  making 
Iron  music  through  the  land. 


\U/76?'  DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE. 

"  How  they  shouted  !    What  rejoicing  ! 

How  the  old  bell  shook  the  air, 
Till  the  clang  of  freedom  ruffled 

The  calm,  gliding  Delaware  ! 
How  the  bonfires  and  the  torches 

Illumed  the  night's  repose, 
And  from  the  flames,  like  Phoenix, 

Fair  Liberty  arose  ! 


"  That  old  bell  now  is  silent, 

And  hush'd  its  iron  tongue, 
But  the  spirit  it  awakened 

Still  lives, — forever  young. 
And  while  we  greet  the  sunlight, 

On  the  fourth  of  each  July, 
We'll  ne'er  forget  the  bellman, 

Who,  twixt  the  earth  and  sky, 
Rung  out  OUR  INDEPENDENCE  : 

Which,  please  God,  shall  never  die  /" 

The  Declaration  had  been  duly  authenticated  by  the  president 
before  being  published.  It  was  ordered  to  be  engrossed  on 
parchment,  and  on  the  2d  of  August  the  fifty-four  delegates 
present  affixed  their  signatures.  John  Hancock's  name,  as  presi 
dent,  led  the  rest.  After  he  had  written  his  name  in  a  bold,  clear 
hand,  he  rose  from  his  seat  and  said,  "  There  !  John  Bull  can 
read  that  without  his  spectacles,  and  may  now  double  his  reward 
of  five  hundred  pounds  for  my  head.  That  is  my  defiance." 
Turning  to  the  rest,  he  added,  "  Gentlemen,  we  must  be  unani 
mous  ;  we  must  all  hang  together."  "  Yes,"  replied  Franklin,  "  or 
we  shall  all  hang  separately."  The  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  read  by  Washington's  orders  at  the  head  of  the  army  then  in 
New  York.  It  created  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  That  night  the 
statue  of  George  III.  was  torn  from  its  pedestal.  It  was  of  lead, 
gilded,  and  being  melted,  made  forty-two  thousand  bullets  for  the 
use  of  the  troops. 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  completed  the  breach  be 
tween  England  and  America.  It  clearly  set  before  the  colonists 
the  object  for  which  they  were  struggling,  and  combined  England 
for  the  overthrow  of  the  new  Republic.  Henceforth,  the  issue 
was  Liberty  or  Slavery.  There  was  no  other  choice.  The  whig 
and  tory  parties  were  now  more  distinctly  defined,  and  the  most 
bitter  hatred  arose  between  them.  Persons  known  as  favoring 
the  king  were  tarred  and  feathered  by  their  patriotic  neighbors, 


1/6  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR. 

and  exhibited  in  this  state  to  the  derision  of  the  crowd.  Con 
gress  appointed  committees  to  restrain  these  over-zealous  mani 
festations,  but  they  were  often  powerless  in  the  face  of  public  sen 
timent. 

During  this  year  and  the  next  all  the  States  either  adopted  a 
new  constitution  or  remodeled  their  charters  to  adapt  them  to  the 
necessities  of  free  and  independent  States;  Rhode  Island  and  Con 
necticut  only  having  to  change  the  word  "king"  to  "people"  to 
effect  this  result. 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  founders  of  our  government, 
when  they  threw  off  the  bondage  of  Great  Britain,  had  no  direct 
intention  of  founding  a  republic.  That  idea  came  only  as  mature 
fruit  from  the  blossom  of  free  thought,  borne  by  the  tree  of  liberty, 
planted  so  long  before  on  American  soil.  They  revolted  from 
George  III.,  not  because  he  was  a  king,  but  because  he  was  a  des 
pot.  They  threw  off  the  rule  of  Great  Britain,  not  because  it  was 
a  monarchy,  but  because  it  was  tyrannical.  They  became  a  re 
public,  as  that  seemed  the  only  thing  to  do.  No  one  thought  of  a 
monarch.  The  people  had  learned  how  to  govern  themselves,  and 
their  rulers  needed  none  of  the  false  dignity  that  "  doth  hedge 
about  a  king."  The  colonies,  for  nearly  a  century  and  a  half,  all 
unconsciously,  had  wrought  out  the  idea  of  a  republic.  It  now 
came  as  naturally  as  the  rain  and  the  dew  from  heaven. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Boston,  Washington  thought  that 
probably  the  British  would  next  try  to  seize  New  York,  both  on 
account  of  its  commercial  importance  and  the  strong  tory  element 
in  that  vicinity.  He  therefore,  soon  after,  came  to  that  city.  The 
most  vigorous  preparations  were  made  to  complete  the  fortifica 
tions,  already  begun  by  General  Charles  Lee.  Troops  were  en 
listed  for  three  years,  and  a  bounty  of  ten  dollars  offered  to 
encourage  recruiting.  About  twenty-seven  thousand  men  were 
finally  collected.  Little  over  half  of  these  were  fit  for  duty.  One 
regiment,  we  read,  had  only  ninety-seven  firelocks  and  seven  bay 
onets.  The  officers,  many  of  whom  were  grossly  incompetent, 
wrangled  about  precedence.  The  soldiers  mistook  insubordina 
tion  for  independence.  Sectional  jealousies  prevailed  to  such  a 
degree,  that  a  letter  of  the  times  reports  that  the  Pennsylvania 
and  New  England  troops  were  quite  as  ready  to  fight  each  other 
as  the  enemy. 

The  first  of  July,  General  Howe  arrived  at  Staten  Island  from 
Halifax.  Soon  after,  he  was  joined  by  his  brother,  Admiral  Howe, 


Atjfj£6']  BATTLE    OF    LONG    ISLAND.  177 

from  England,  and  Clinton,  from  the  defeat  of  Fort  Moultrie. 
They  had  thirty  thousand  men  admirably  disciplined  and  equip 
ped  ;  among  them  about  eight  thousand  of  the  dreaded  Hessians. 
The  fleet,  consisting  of  ten  ships-of-the-line,  twenty  frigates,  and 
four  hundred  ships  and  transports,  was  moored  in  the  bay  ready 
to  co-operate.  Parliament  had  authorized  the  Howes  to  treat 
with  the  insurgents.  By  proclamation  they  accordingly  offered 
pardon  to  all  who  would  return  to  their  allegiance.  This  docu 
ment  was  published  by  direction  of  Congress,  that  the  people 
might  see  what  England  demanded.  An  officer  was  then  sent  to 
the  American  camp  with  a  letter  addressed  to  "  George  Washing 
ton,  Esq."  Washington  refused  to  receive  it.  The  address  was 
afterward  changed  to  "  George  Washington,  &c.,  &c."  The  mes 
senger  endeavored  to  show  that  this  bore  any  meaning  which 
might  be  desired.  But  Washington  utterly  refused  any  communi 
cation  which  did  not  distinctly  recognize  his  position  as  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  American  army.  Lord  Howe  was  evi 
dently  desirous  of  a  restoration  of  peace.  He  solicited  an  inter 
view  with  Franklin,  an  old-time  friend  ;  but  events  had  gone  too 
far.  England  would  not  grant  independence,  and  the  colonies 
would  accept  nothing  less.  War  must  settle  the  question. 

It  was  not  till  the  last  of  August  that  Clinton  crossed  over  the 
Narrows  to  Long  Island.  Brooklyn  was  fortified  by  a  series  of 
entrenchments  and  forts  extending  from  Gowanus  Bay  to  Wall- 
about.  Here  were  stationed  about  nine  thousand  men  under 
Generals  Sullivan  and  Stirling.  About  two  and  a  half  miles  south 
was  a  range  of  wooded  heights  traversed  by  three  roads  along 
which  the  British  could  advance ;  one  leading  up  directly  from 
the  Narrows  and  Gravesend  to  Gowanus  Bay,  a  second  from  Flat- 
bush,  and  a  third,  the  Jamaica  road,  cutting  through  the  hills  by 
the  Bedford  and  the  Jamaica  passes.  General  Greene,  who  was 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  ground,  being  unfortunately  sick, 
General  Putnam  was  hastily  sent  over  to  take  charge  of  the  de 
fence.  General  Stirling  and  General  Sullivan  occupied  the  heights, 
but,  by  a  fatal  oversight,  the  Jamaica  road  was  unguarded.  The 
English  were  not  slow  to  take  advantage  of  the  opportunity. 

On  the  eve  of  the  26th,  General  Clinton,  with  Percy  and  Corn- 
wallis,  crossed  the  narrow  causeway  called  Shoemaker's  Bridge, 
over  a  marsh  near  New  Lots — where,  it  is  said,  a  single  regiment 
could  have  barred  the  way — and,  before  daylight,  had  seized  the 
Bedford  and  the  Jamaica  passes,  while  the  Americans  were  yet 
12 


INDEPENDENCE    YEAR. 


[-Aug.  27, 
L     1776. 


unconscious  of  his  having  left  Flatlands.  Meanwhile  General 
Grant  moved  forward  along  the  coast,  on  the  direct  road,  from 
the  Narrows  up  to  the  hills  at  present  embraced  in  Greenwood 
Cemetery.  Here  there  was  considerable  skirmishing,  but  Stir 
ling  held  him  in  check.  Clinton, 
pushing  down  from  the  hills,  now 
fell  upon  the  American  left,  at 
Bedford.  The  sound  of  cannon  in 
their  rear  filled  the  Americans 
with  dismay.  At  that  moment 
De  Heister,  with  the  Hessians, 
who  had  already  begun 
to  skirmish  on  the  Flat- 
bush  road,  stormed  Sul 
livan's  position.  Re 
treat  was  the  patriots' 
only  hope.  It  was, 
however,  too  late. 
Caught  between  the 
Hessians  and  the  Brit 
ish,  they  were  driven 
to  and  fro,  cut  down  by 
the  dragoons,  or  bayo 
neted  without  mercy 
by  the  Hessians  and 
the  Highlanders,  who 
listened  to  no  plea  for 
quarter.  Some  took  to 
the  rocks  and  trees,  and 

sold  their  lives  as  dearly  as  they  could  ;  some  broke  through  and 
escaped,  pursued  by  the  grenadiers  to  the  American  lines  at  Fort 
Putnam  ;  the  rest  were  captured. 

Cornwallis  hurried  on  with  his  corps  to  close  in  upon  General 
Stirling,  who  was  yet  unaware  of  the  disaster  upon  his  left,  at  the 
same  time  firing  two  guns  as  a  signal  for  Grant  to  attack  the 
front.  Stirling,  with  a  part  of  Smallwood's  regiment,  composed 
of  the  sons  of  the  best  families  in  Maryland,  turned  upon  this 
unexpected  foe  in  his  rear,  determined  by  a  heroic  sacrifice  to 
give  the  rest  a  chance  for  escape.  He  accomplished  his  design  ; 
all  his  companions  crossed  Gowanus  Creek  in  safety ;  but  he, 
himself,  was  captured,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  of  the 


Xower   Say 


OF 

G-  ISLAND 

OCCUPATION  OP 

MANHATTAN 
ISLAND. 

Ttoute.  of  American  -Army.    II 

Ttoute.  ofXriti*T>  Army.        00 / 


August,-] 
1776.   J 


BATTLE    OF    LONG    ISLAND. 


179 


PRISON  SHIP   AT   \VALLABOUT. 


Marylanders  lay  dead  on  the  field.  Washington  beheld  the  fight 
from  a  neighboring  hill,  and,  wringing  his  hands  in  agony,  ex 
claimed,  "  What  brave  fellows  I  must  lose  this  day  ! " 

It  was  a  sad  augury  for  the  Republic  which  had  just  issued  its 
Declaration  of  Independence.  The  British  loss  was  but  four 
hundred  and  the  American  nearly  two  thousand.  Of  the  latter, 
one  thousand,  who  were  with  Generals  Sullivan  and  Stirling, 
were  prisoners.  The  higher  officers  were  soon  exchanged, 
but  the  hard  lot 
of  the  privates 
and  lower  officers 
made  the  fate  of 
those  who  per 
ished  in  battle  to 
be  envied.  Num 
bers  were  con 
fined  in  the  sugar- 
house  and  the  old 
hulks  at  Wall- 
about,  where  aft 
erward  so  many 
other  American  prisoners  suffered  untold  agonies.  Here,  fester 
ing  with  disease,  perishing  with  famine,  and  loathsome  with  filth, 
deprived  of  fresh  air,  water,  and  every  necessary  of  life,  eleven 
thousand  Americans,  it  is  said,  found  an  untimely  grave  ere  the 
war  was  over. 

Had  Howe  attacked  the  works  at  Brooklyn  immediately,  the 
Americans  would  probably  have  been  utterly  destroyed.  Fortu 
nately,  he  delayed  for  the  fleet  to  co-operate  ;  but  an  adverse  wind 
prevented.  For  two  days  the  patriots  lay  helpless,  awaiting  the 
assault.  On  the  second  night  after  the  battle  there  was  a  dense 
fog  on  the  Brooklyn  side,  while  in  New  York  the  weather  was 
clear.  A  little  before  midnight,  the  Americans  moved  silently 
down  to  the  shore  and  commenced  to  cross  the  river,  near  what  is 
now  the  Fulton  Ferry.  Everything  was  planned  with  Washing 
ton's  peculiar  precision.  The  guards,  sentinels,  and  outer  lines 
were  ordered  to  remain  quietly  at  their  posts  till  the  v.ery  last,  that 
the  enemy  might  suspect  no  movement.  The  stifled  murmur  of 
the  camp,  as  each  man  took  his  place  in  silence  for  the  march  to 
the  river-side,  gradually  died  away  in  the  distance.  Suddenly  the 
roar  of  a  cannon  burst  upon  the  night-air.  "  The  effect,"  says  an 


i8o 


INDEPENDENCE    YEAR. 


TAug.  30, 
L     177 


'76. 


American  who  was  present,  "  was  at  once  alarming  and  sublime. 
If  the  explosion  was  within  our  own  lines,  the  gun  was  probably 
discharged  in  the  act  of  spiking  it,  and  could  have  been  no  less  a 
matter  of  speculation  to  the  enemy  than  to  ourselves."  The 
mystery  of  that  midnight  gun  remains  still  unexplained.  Fortu 
nately,  it  failed  to  rouse  the  British 
camp.  Startled  by  this  unexpected 
centre -temps,  the  men  reached  the 
shore.  Washington,  feeling  the  ur 
gent  necessity  for  despatch,  sent  one 
of  his  aides-de-camp  to  hurry  up  the 
troops  in  march.  By  mistake  he  gave 


the  order  to  all  who  had  been  left; 
behind.  In  the  midst  of  embar 
rassment  and  confusion  at  the 
ferry,  caused  by  the  change  of 
tide  and  of  wind,  which  beat  back 
the  sail -boats,  the  whole  rear 
guard  arrived.  "  Good  God  ! 

General  Mifflin !  "  cried  Washington,  "  I  fear  you  have  ruined  us 
by  so  unseasonably  withdrawing  the  troops  from  the  advance 
lines."  Mifflin  somewhat  warmly  explained  that  he  had  only  fol 
lowed  orders.  "  It  is  a  dreadful  mistake,"  exclaimed  Washington; 


THE   RETREAT  FROM    LONG   ISLAND. 


Alj^30,j  RETREAT    FROM    LONG    ISLAND.  l8l 

"  and  unless  you  can  regain  the  picket  lines  before  your  absence 
is  discovered,  the  most  disastrous  consequences  may  follow." 
Mifflin  hastened  back,  but  again  the  dense  fog  and  Providence 
had  favored  them,  so  that  though  nearly  an  hour  had  intervened, 
the  desertion  of  their  posts  had  not  been  noticed  by  the  enemy. 
At  length  their  own  time  came,  and  the  last  boat  pulled  from  the 
shore.  The  strain  of  the  night  was  over  and  the  army  was  saved. 
"  What  with  the  greatness  of  the  stake,  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
the  uncertainty  of  the  design,  and  the  extreme  hazard  of  the  issue," 
says  one,  "  it  would  be  difficult  to  conceive  a  more  deeply  solemn 
scene  than  had  transpired." 

This  timely  deliverance  moved  every  pious  American  heart  to 
profoundest  gratitude,  for  if  once  the  English  fleet  had  moved  up 
the  East  River  and  cut  off  communication  between  New  York  and 
Brooklyn,  nothing  could  have  saved  the  army  from  capture. 
Howe,  not  supposing  an  escape  possible,  had  taken  no  precautions 
against  such  an  event.  It  is  said  that  a  tory  Avoman  sent  her 
negro  servant  to  inform  the  British  of  the  movements  of  the 
patriot  army  ;  but  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Hessians,  who,  not 
understanding  a  word  of  English,  kept  him  until  morning.  After 
daybreak,  and  the  fog  had  lifted,  a  British  captain,  with  a  handful 
of  men,  stealthily  crept  down  through  the  fallen  trees,  and,  crawl 
ing  over  the  entrenchments,  found  them  deserted.  A  troop  of 
horse  hurried  to  the  river  and  captured  the  last  boat,  manned  by 
three  vagabonds  who  had  staid  behind  for  plunder. 

Washington,  conscious  that,  with  the  weakened  and  now  dispir 
ited  army  under  his  command,  it  was  impossible  to  hold  New 
York,  wished  to  evacuate  the  city,  but  Congress  would  not  con 
sent.  While  awaiting  the  movements  of  Howe,  Captain  Nathan 
Hale  of  Connecticut  consented  to  visit  the  English  camp,  and,  if 
possible,  find  out  their  plans.  He  passed  the  lines  safely  and 
gained  much  valuable  information,  but  on  his  return  journey  was 
recognized  by  a  tory  relative,  who  arrested  him.  He  was  taken 
to  Howe's  headquarters,  and  the  next  morning  executed  as  a  spy. 
No  clergyman  was  allowed  to  visit  him,  nor  was  he  permitted 
even  a  Bible  in  his  last  hours.  His  farewell  letters  to  his  mother 
and  sister  were  destroyed.  The  brutality  of  his  enemies  did  not, 
however,  crush  his  noble  spirit,  for  his  last  words  were,  "  I  only 
regret  that  I  have  but  one  life  to  give  to  my  country." 

Having  occupied  Buchanan's  and  Montressor's  islands,  now 
Ward's  and  Randall's,  Clinton,  with  a  heavy  body  of  troops, 


1 82  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR. 

L      I  /  /o. 

crossed  the  East  River  under  the  fire  of  the  fleet  early  Sunday 
morning,  September  15,  and  landed  at  Kip's  Bay,  at  the  foot  of 
the  present  Thirty-fourth  street.  The  American  troops  at  this 
point  fled  from  the  entrenchments.  It  was  all-important  that  the 
position  should  be  held,  as  Putnam  was  in  the  city  below  with 
four  thousand  men,  and  time  must  be  gained  for  them  to  escape. 
Washington  came  galloping  among  the  fugitives  and  rallied  them. 
But  when  two  or  three  score  red-coats  came  in  sight,  they  broke 
again  without  firing  a  shot  and  scattered  in  the  wildest  terror. 
Losing  all  self-command  at  the  sight  of  such  cowardice,  Wash 
ington  dashed  forward  toward  the  enemy,  exclaiming,  "  Are  these 
the  men  with  whom  I  am  to  defend  America  ?  "  General  Greene 
writes  of  this  scene,  that  the  poltroons  "  left  His  Excellency  on  the 
ground,  within  eighty  yards  of  the  enemy,  so  vexed  at  the  infa 
mous  conduct  of  his  troops  that  he  sought  death  rather  than 
life."  He  might  indeed  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  British, 
so  overcome  was  he  by  the  dastardly  conduct  of  his  soldiers,  had 
not  an  aide-de-camp  seized  his  horse  by  the  bridle  and  hurried 
him  away.  Rallying  his  self-possession,  Washington  hastened  to 
look  after  the  safety  of  the  rest  of  the  army.  It  was  a  moment 
of  extreme  peril.  Fortunately,  on  landing,  Howe,  Clinton,  and 
some  others  called  at  the  house  of  Robert  Murray  for  refresh 
ments.  The  owner,  who  was  a  Quaker,  was  absent,  but  his  wife, 
'a  staunch  whig,  regaled  them  with  such  an  abundance  of  cake 
and  wine,  and  listened  with  such  admirable  attention  to  their 
humorous  descriptions  of  her  countrymen's  panic,  that  their  appe 
tite  and  vanity  got  the  better  of  their  judgment,  and  kept  them 
long  at  her  delightful  entertainment.  Meanwhile,  Putnam  was 
hurrying  his  men  along  the  Bloomingdale  road,  not  a  mile  distant, 
under  a  burning  sun,  through  clouds  of  dust,  and  liable  at  any 
moment  to  be  raked  by  the  fire  of  the  English  ships  anchored  in 
the  Hudson.  Thanks  to  the  wit  of  the  good  Mrs.  Murray,  the 
British  troops  came  up  only  in  time  to  send  a  few  parting  shots 
at  their  rear-guard.  Washington  collected  his  army  on  Harlem 
Heights. 

That  night  the  wearied  troops  lay  on  the  open  ground,  in  the 
midst  of  a  cold,  driving  rain,  without  tent  or  shelter.  Anxious  to 
encourage  his  disheartened  men,  Washington,  the  same  evening, 
ordered  Silas  Talbot,  in  charge  of  a  fire-ship  in  the  Hudson,  to 
make  a  descent  upon  the  British  fleet.  Accordingly,  this  brave 
captain,  dropping  down  with  the  tide,  steered  his  vessel  alongside 


s<fPt-6'6.]  OCCUPATION    OF    HARLEM    HEIGHTS.  183 

the  Renomme.  Stopping  to  grapple  his  antagonist  surely,  and 
to  make  certain  of  firing  the  trains  of  powder,  he  was  himself 
fearfully  burned  before  he  could  drop  into  the  water.  It  was  an 
awful  scene.  The  British  ships  poured  their  broadsides  upon  his 
little  boat  as  he  was  rapidly  rowed  away,  while  huge  billows  of 
flame  bursting  out  from  the  fire-ship  lighted  up  the  fleet  and  the 
harbor  with  terrible  distinctness.  From  every  side  boats  put  off 
to  the  rescue  of  the  endangered  vessel,  which  was  finally  brought 
safely  away.  But  the  entire  British  fleet  slipped  their  moorings 
and  quitted  the  stream. 

Early  the  next  morning,  the  advance  guard  of  the  British  de 
scended  into  Harlem  Plains,  drove  in  the  American  pickets,  and 
sounded  their  bugles  as  if  in  defiance.  Washington  rode  to  the 
outpost,  near  where  is  now  the  Convent  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  and 
made  his  preparations  to  teach  them  a  lesson.  Engaging  their 
attention  by  a  skirmish  in  front,  he  sent  Colonel  Knowlton  and 
Major  Leitch  to  march  around  through  the  woods  and  cut  off  their 
retreat.  A  spirited  contest  ensued.  The  enemy  were  driven 
back  upon  the  main  body  with  great  loss,  while  the  Continentals 
suffered  little.  The  success,  however,  was  saddened  by  the  death 
of  both  the  commanding  officers,  killed  in  the  moment  of  triumph 
antly  leading  to  victory  the  troops  who  the  day  before  had  fled  so 
ignominiously. 

The  British,  on  their  entry  into  New  York,  were  received 
by  the  tories  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm.  Scarcely  had  they 
settled  down  in  what  they  hoped  would  be  snug  winter-quar 
ters,  when  a  fire  broke  out,  which  destroyed  about  five  hundred 
houses.  The  whigs  were  accused  of  the  incendiarism,  and  the 
enraged  soldiers,  with  their  bayonets,  actually  tossed  several  per 
sons  into  the  flames.  They  also  hanged  up  one  man  by  his  heels 
until  he  died,  discovering  afterwards,  however,  that  he  was  a 
staunch  loyalist. 

Washington  immediately  took  great  pains  to  fortify  his  posi 
tion  on  Harlem  Heights,  throwing  up  a  series  of  entrenchments 
reaching  from  Harlem  River  to  the  Hudson,  and  protecting  the 
right  wing  by  Fort  Washington.  The  army,  however,  was  in  a 
desperate  condition.  The  term  of  service  being  nearly  expired,  it 
seemed  on  the  eve  of  dissolution.  The  disheartened  troops  aban 
doned  their  colors  by  hundreds ;  whole  regiments  even  returning 
to  their  homes.  The  Connecticut  militia  was  reduced  from  six 
thousand  to  two  thousand.  "  Among  many  of  the  subordinate 


1 84  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR.  [°Cti77628> 

officers,"  says  Lossing,  "greed  usurped  the  place  of  patriotism. 
Officers  were  elected  on  condition  that  they  should  throw  their 
pay  and  rations  into  a  joint-stock  for  the  benefit  of  a  company ; 
surgeons  sold  recommendations  for  furloughs  for  able-bodied  men 
at  sixpence  each,  and  a  captain  was  cashiered  for  stealing  blankets 
from  his  soldiers.  Men  went  out  in  squads  to  plunder  from  friend 
or  foe,  and  immorality  prevailed  throughout  the  American  army." 
The  soldiers,  too,  had  lost  confidence  in  their  principal  officers, 
Washington  alone  commanding  their  fullest  respect  and  unwaver 
ing  devotion.  The  men  were  true  to  him,  and  he  was  true  to 
duty.  He  was  already  fast  becoming  the  hope  of  the  country. 

General  Howe,  unwilling  to  attack  the  American  army  in  its 
strong  position  on  Harlem  Heights,  determined  to  get  in  its  rear. 
Leaving  his  own  lines  in  front  of  New  York  well  defended,  he  ac 
cordingly  moved  up  the  Sound,  and  disembarked  his  troops  at 
Throg's  Point,  Westchester  county,  while  his  fleet  passed  up  the 
Hudson  to  cut  off  all  communication  with  the  western  bank  of  the 
river.  Washington  was  prepared  for  this  movement,  which  he 
had  already  foreseen,  and  immediately  ordered  troops  to  occupy 
the  causeways  leading  out  from  the  little  peninsula  on  which  the 
British  were  encamped.  The  bridge  being  removed,  and  his  ad 
vance  thus  cut  off,  Howe  crossed  in  his  boats  to  Pell's  Point  (Pel- 
ham),  and  landing  again,  moved  toward  New  Rochelle,  where  he 
was  joined  by  the  Hessians  under  Knyphausen.  He  now  decided 
to  occupy  White  Plains.  Meanwhile,  Washington  had  evacuated 
Manhattan  Island,  and,  crossing  to  Fordham  Heights,  marched 
northward  to  head  off  the  British.  "  The  modern  Fabius  "  kept 
his  army  on  the  high  hills  along  the  western  bank  of  the  Bronx, 
occupying  in  succession  a  series  of  entrenched  camps  reaching 
to  White  Plains,  a  distance  of  thirteen  miles.  The  two  armies 
marched  parallel  to  each  other,  and  there  were  frequent  skir 
mishes  between  the  outposts,  in  which  Washington  took  care  that 
the  Americans,  who  were  now  in  fine  spirits,  should  have  the  ad 
vantage.  Moving  on  the  shorter  line,  Washington  was  the  first 
to  reach  White  Plains,  where  he  threw  up  breastworks,  meanwhile 
preparing  an  entrenched  camp  in  his  rear  on  the  heights  of  North 
Castle.  Howe,  coming  up,  threw  a  part  of  his  troops  across  the 
Bronx,  and  carried  Chatterton's  Hill.  The  patriot  militia  under 
McDougal  held  their  rude  breastworks  over  an  hour,  and  then 
retreated  in  good  order  to  the  main  line.  The  apparent  strength 
of  Washington's  entrenchments,  which  consisted,  it  is  said,  in  part, 


Oct.  31, 1 
1776.   J 


OPERATIONS    IN    THE    HIGHLANDS. 


I85 


HUDSON  RIVER    Southern  Part. 


of  heaps  of  cornstalks  covered  with  dirt  and  sod,  caused  Howe  to 
await  his  reinforcements  under  Lord  Percy. 

On  the  night  of  the  3ist,  amid  a  tempest  of  wind  and  rain, 
Washington  quietly  fell  back  upon  the  Heights  of  North  Castle. 
On  this  formidable  position,  Howe  dared 
not  risk  an  assault,  but  withdrew  to 
Fordham  Heights.  Washington,  ap 
prehending  that  the  British  would  next 
carry  the  war  into  the  Jerseys,  and  per 
haps  move  on  Philadelphia,  crossed  the 
Hudson  and  fixed  his  head-quarters  in 
the  Highlands,  leaving  General  Lee  at 
North  Castle  with  about  seven  thou 
sand  men,  until  Howe's  movements 
were  more  fully  developed. 

During  the  encampment  at  White 
Plains  an  incident  occurred  which  curi 
ously  illustrates  the  character  of  General 
Lee,  then  the  most  admired  officer  in 
the  army,  and  whose  coming  had  been 
looked  for  as  that  of  "  a  flaming  angel 
from  heaven."  The  story  is  thus  told 
by  Sears :  General  Lee  lodged  in  a  small 
house,  near  which  General  Washington 
occasionally  passed  when  observing  the 
dispositions  of  the  enemy.  One  day, 
accompanied  by  some  of  his  officers,  he 
called  on  General  Lee  and  dined  with 
him  ;  but  no  sooner  was  he  gone  than 
Lee,  addressing  his  aide-de-camp,  said : 
"  You  must  look  me  out  another  place, 
for  I  shall  have  Washington  and  all  his 
puppies  continually  calling  upon  me, 
and  they  will  eat  me  up."  Next  day, 
seeing  the  commander-in-chief  and  his 
suite  coming  that  way,  and  suspecting 
another  visit,  he  ordered  his  servant  to 


Route  of  American  Army.    III. 
Route  of  British  Army.         ODD. 


write  on  the  door  with  chalk,  "  No  victuals  dressed  here  to-day." 
Perceiving  this  inscription,  General  Washington  and  his  officers 
rode  off,  not  a  little  amused  at  the  incident  and  the  oddities  of 
Lee's  character. 


1 86  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR.  [N|07V766' 

The  scene  now  shifts  to  Fort  Washington  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson.  A  little  force  of  three  thousand  men  was  here 
environed  by  the  enemy  in  overwhelming  numbers.  Washington 
had  been  opposed  to  holding  this  post  after  the  retreat  of  the 
Continental  army,  but  Congress  urged  that  it  must  be  maintained, 
and  General  Greene,  who  was  in  command  at  Fort  Lee,  fully 
acquiesced  in  this  view.  Washington  most  reluctantly  yielded 
his  own  opinion.  On  the  eve  before  the  final  attack  by  the 
British,  he  was  crossing  the  river  to  personally  inspect  the  forti 
fications,  when  he  met  Generals  Greene  and  Putnam.  They 
assured  him  that  "  the  men  were  in  high  spirits  and  all  would  be 
well."  It  was  already  too  late  to  evacuate  the  fort.  Howe's 
plans  were  complete. 

The  advanced  line  of  entrenchments  before  the  fort  was  about 
seven  miles  long  and  weakly  defended.  Early  on  the  morning  of 
November  i6th,  this  was  attacked  at  four  different  points.  The 
Americans,  though  outnumbered  five  to  one,  made  a  gallant 
defence,  but  Cornwallis  carried  Laurel  Hill ;  Percy  and  Stirling 
on  the  south  swept  all  before  them  ;  while  on  the  north,  Knyphau- 
sen  and  Rail  with  the  Hessians,  clambering  up  the  heights,  catch 
ing  hold  of  branches  and  bushes,  pushing  through  the  under 
brush,  and  tearing  away  the  fallen  trees,  under  a  murderous  fire, 
pressed  to  within  one  hundred  paces  of  the  fort  and  demanded  its 
surrender.  Washington,  who  was  watching  the  fight  from  Fort 
Lee,  "wept  with  the  tenderness  of  a  child"  as  he  saw  his  men, 
while  begging  for  quarter,  bayoneted  by  the  brutal  Hessians. 
He  sent  over  word,  promising  to  bring  off  the  garrison  in  the 
night  if  they  could  only  hold  out  till  then  ;  but  there  was  no 
hope.  Magaw,  the  commander,  could  get  but  half  an  hour's 
delay.  The  troops  crowded  into  the  fort  were  disheartened,  and 
would  no  longer  man  the  ramparts.  The  American  flag  was 
hauled  down.  Though  the  garrison  had  lost  but  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men  and  the  British  five  hundred,  yet  twenty-six 
hundred  prisoners  were  given  up,  with  artillery  and  stores  which 
were  invaluable  to  the  patriot  cause. 

Washington  now  turned  all  his  thought  to  the  probable  cam 
paign  in  New  Jersey.  He  gave  orders  to  immediately  evacuate 
Fort  Lee,  as  the  plan  of  preventing  the  English  fleet  from  ascend 
ing  the  Hudson  was  now  defeated  by  the  capture  of  the  more  im 
portant  fort.  Greene,  however,  was  too  slow.  November  2oth, 
Cornwallis  crossed  the  Hudson,  with  a  strong  detachment,  five 


NOV'  2°7°6.DeCl  8']         RETREAT    THROUGH    NEW    JERSEY.  l8/ 

miles  above  Fort  Lee,  his  marines  dragging  his  cannon  up  the 
steep  ascent  to  the  top  of  the  Palisades.  A  countryman  brought 
the  news  to  Greene,  who  sprang  from  his  bed  and  took  to  flight 
with  his  men,  leaving  behind  them  tents  standing,  blankets  un 
rolled,  and  camp  kettles  over  the  fire.  Washington,  hearing  of 
the  danger,  seized  the  bridge  across  the  Hackensack,  and  covered 
the  retreat  so  that  all  the  fugitives,  except  a  few  stragglers,  escaped. 

For  eighteen  long,  weary  days,  Washington  and  his  shattered 
army  continued  to  fall  back  before  the  conquering  forces  of  Corn- 
wallis.  Many  of  the  patriots  had  no  shoes,  and  their  footsteps  on 
the  frozen  ground  were  traced  in  blood.  There  were  but  three 
thousand  men  in  all,  on  a  level  country,  with  no  entrenchments, 
and  not  a  tool  for  throwing  up  defences.  Newark,  New  Bruns 
wick,  Princeton,  and  Trenton,  marked  the  successive  stages  in 
this  bitter  flight.  The  advance  of  Cornwallis  entered  Newark  as 
Washington's  rear-guard  was  leaving.  At  Brunswick,  the  term 
of  service  of  the  Jersey  and  Maryland  brigades  expired,  and  they 
refused  to  stay  longer  under  the  flag.  At  daybreak,  December  ist, 
the  disbanded  soldiers  scattered  over  the  fields  seeking  the  shelter 
of  the  woods,  and  the  little  remnant  of  the  patriot  army  broke  down 
the  bridge  over  the  Raritan,  as  Cornwallis's  cavalry  dashed  into 
their  late  camp  through  the  still  smoking  embers  of  their  fires. 
At  Princeton,  Cornwallis  was  joined  by  Howe  with  fresh  troops. 
The  British  unaccountably  delayed  here  for  seventeen  hours. 
When  they  at  last  reached  Trenton,  December  8th,  it  was  only  to 
see  across  the  deep,  angry  Delaware,  the  Continental  rear  watch 
ing  their  approach.  To  cross  was  impossible,  for,  under  Wash 
ington's  orders,  every  boat  for  seventy  miles  along  the  stream  had 
been  taken  to  the  southern  shore  and  placed  under  guard. 

During  this  march,  messenger  after  messenger,  order  after 
order,  had  been  sent  to  General  Lee,  to  hasten  from  North  Castle 
to  the  help  of  his  commander-in-chief.  Ambitious,  flattered  with 
the  idea  of  a  separate  command,  and  with  the  praises  of  those  who 
were  continually  contrasting  his  audacity  with  the  caution  of 
Washington,  Lee  lingered  behind,  hopeful  of  accomplishing  some 
brilliant  feat.  It  was  not  till  December  4th  that  he  crossed  the 
Hudson.  He  then  moved  along  by  the  British  flank  about  twenty 
miles  away,  watching  for  a  chance  to  "  reconquer  the  Jerseys." 
But  his  presumption  was  soon  to  be  bitterly  punished.  On  the 
night  of  the  I2th  he  stopped  at  Baskingridge  with  only  a  small 
guard.  He  did  not  breakfast  till  ten  o'clock,  and  then  tarried  to 


1 88 


INDEPENDENCE    YEAR. 


["Nov.  to  Dec., 
L         1776. 


write  to  Gates  a  letter  full  of  complaint  and  treason.  It  was  not 
yet  sealed  when  a  cry  of  "  The  British  !  "  was  raised.  Instead  of 
making  an  effort  to  escape,  the  coward  came  out,  bareheaded,  in 
slippers  and  blanket-coat,  and  begged  for  his  life.  The  dragoons 
carried  him  off  in  this  unsoldierly  plight,  without  change,  to  their 
camp.  Sullivan,  who  had  now  been  exchanged,  brought  the  army 
safely  to  the  American  quarters.  Lee's  reputation  at  this  time 
was  high,  and  when  Congress  learned  that  he  was  to  be  tried  as  a 
deserter,  it  set  apart  six  British  officers,  then  prisoners,  to  await 
his  fate.  This  decided  measure  caused  Lee  to  be  released  on 
parole.  (December,  1777.) — Time  has  revealed  the  fact,  however, 
that  while  in  custody  he  offered  to  betray  his  adopted  country. 

A  carefully-prepared  project  for  the  con 
quest  of  America,  in  Lee's  handwriting, 
and  endorsed  by  the  secretary  of  the 
Howes,  as  "  Mr.  Lee's  Plan,"  has  lately 
been  discovered  in  England,  which  con 
clusively  proves  his  treason. 

The  condition  of  the  country  was  now 
fearful  in  the  extreme.  New  Jersey  was 
overrun  by  the  British  army.  The  whigs 
were  forced  to  hide  where  they  could,  and 
leave  their  families  to  the  insults  of  a 
brutal  soldiery.  Houses,  barns,  and  fences 
were  burned,  orchards  cut  down,  crops 
and  cattle  carried  off;  women  were  sub 
jected  to  every  species  of  insult ;  house 
holds  were  plundered  even  of  the  cradles 
in  which  infants  were  rocked  to  sleep ; 
and  "  children,  old  men,  and  women  were 
left  in  their  shirts,  without  a  blanket  to 
cover  them,  under  the  inclemency  of  win 
ter."  Many  of  these  families  had  printed  protections,  signed  by 
order  of  the  British  commander ;  but  they  availed  nothing.  The 
Hessians  could  not,  and  the  British  would  not,  understand  them. 
The  former  were  utterly  lawless.  Without  ceremony  they  entered 
dwellings,  ordered  the  family  out  of  their  chairs  at  the  breakfast, 
dinner,  or  supper  table,  and,  seating  themselves  in  their  places, 
demanded  the  best  the  house  could  afford.  Their  appetite  satis 
fied,  they  roamed  through  the  various  apartments,  confiscating 
every  article  which  caught  their  greed  or  fancy,  with  a  simple 


HESSIAN    GRENADIER. 


Nov.  3O, 


1776 


°.]  CAMPAIGN    IN    PENNSYLVANIA.  189 


"  Dis  is  goot  for  Hesse-man,"  and  happy  for  the  trembling  in 
mates  if  the  visit  was  not  concluded  with  personal  indignities. 
De  Heister  was  the  "  Arch-plunderer,"  and  set  the  example  to  all 
his  followers.  He  had  even  the  meanness  to  advertise  the  house 
in  which  he  lived  in  New  York  for  public  sale,  although  it  had 
been  voluntarily  given  him  for  his  use  by  its  owner,  a  true  loyalist. 
Worse  than  all,  the  American  soldiers,  infected  by  the  general 
demoralization,  took  upon  themselves  to  sack  the  houses  of  tories 
and  loyalists,  so  that,  between  both  armies,  no  property  was  secure. 
Washington  was  finally  compelled  to  issue  orders  imposing  the 
severest  penalties  upon  "  any  officer  found  plundering  the  inhabi 
tants,  under  the  pretence  of  their  being  tories." 

In  November,  Howe  had  issued  a  proclamation  offering  full 
pardon  to  every  one  who  should  within  sixty  days  submit  to  the 
royal  authority.  It  was  well  timed.  For  ten  days  after  the 
issuing  of  this  proclamation  two  or  three  hundred  persons  daily 
flocked  to  the  royal  camp  to  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the 
king.  Among  them  were  distinguished  persons ;  as,  for  example, 
Samuel  Tucker,  who  had  been  president  of  the  Provincial  Con 
gress  and  a  most  trusted  patriot.  Even  John  Dickinson  refused 
to  accept  from  Delaware  a  seat  in  the  Continental  Congress.  To 
deepen  the  gloom  still  more,  Clinton,  with  four  brigades  and  a 
fleet  under  Parker,  sailed  for  Rhode  Island  and  landed  at  New 
port  the  day  that  Washington  crossed  the  Delaware.  That  State 
was  now  entirely  under  their  control.  Troops  that  were  destined 
for  Washington  were  detained  in  New  England,  and  several 
American  armed  vessels  were  kept  blockaded  in  Providence 
River.  Along  the  Delaware  the  British  army,  twenty-seven 
thousand  strong,  admirably  equipped,  was  now  reaching  its 
advance  posts  opposite  Philadelphia,  and  it  was  expected  that  the 
English  fleet  would  soon  ascend  the  river.  Congress,  alarmed, 
fled  from  Philadelphia  amidst  the  jeers  of  tories  and  the  maledic 
tions  of  patriots.  Howe  had  already  written  home,  "  Peace 
must  be  the  consequence  of  our  successes."  No  wonder  that  the 
hearts  of  men  misgave  them  in  this  hour  of  trial.  Yet  there  were 
still  patriots  whose  hopes  were  bright  and  whose  courage  stood 
high.  John  Adams  wrote,  "  I  do  not  doubt  of  ultimate  success." 
Washington  remained  calm  and  unmoved,  and  his  serene  patience 
touched  the  hearts  of  all.  Misfortune  only  mellowed  and  ripened 
his  magnificent  faith,  and  in  all  that  he  said  or  did  there  seemed 
an  inspiration. 


INDEPENDENCE    YEAR.  [^776?' 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  winter ;  the  English  had  gone  into  can 
tonments  reaching  from  Brunswick  to  below  Burlington.  Howe 
was  in  New  York,  where  all  was  now  as  merry  as  a  marriage- bell. 
British  and  Royalist  vied  in  making  the  city  gay  with  festival  and 
flag,  in  honor  of  the  approaching  decoration  of  Lord  Howe  as 
Knight  of  the  Bath,  conferred  upon  him  in  return  for  his  distin 
guished  services.  The  officers  in  their  comfortable  quarters  were 
arranging  to  pass  away  the  idle  hours  in  theatrical  performances 
for  the  benefit  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  the  war.  Cornwallis, 
thinking  the  war  over,  had  sent  his  baggage  on  board  a  vessel  to 
return  home.  Throughout  the  British  army  there  was  the  pro- 
foundest  contempt  for  the  Americans.  Grant,  who  was  left  in 
command  of  Cornwallis's  division,  declared  that  with  a  corporal's 
guard  he  could  march  anywhere  in  the  Jerseys.  "  Washington's 
men,"  he  wrote,  "  have  neither  shoes,  nor  stockings,  nor  blankets ; 
they  are  almost  naked,  and  are  dying  of  cold  and  want  of  food." 
So  he  argued  they  were  not  to  be  feared.  How  little  he  realized 
the  stuff  of  which  patriots  are  made ! 

Rail,  who  was  stationed  at  Trenton  with  about  fifteen  hundred 
men,  principally  Hessians,  made  light  of  a  rumor  that  he  was 
likely  to  be  attacked.  One  of  his  officers  having  suggested  that 
it  would  be  well  to  throw  up  some  works  to  provide  against  a 
possibility  of  assault,  he  laughed  the  idea  to  scorn.  "  An  assault 
by  the  rebels  !  Works  !  pooh  !  Let  them  come.  We'll  at  them 
with  the  bayonet."  "  Herr  Colonel,"  urged  the  more  prudent 
major,  "  it  will  cost  almost  nothing,  and  if  it  does  no  good,  it  can 
do  no  harm."  Rail  only  laughed  the  more  heartily  at  such  a 
ridiculous  project,  and,  turning  on  his  heel,  sauntered  off  to  hear 
the  musicians,  whom  he  kept  almost  constantly  at  their  instru 
ments  for  his  own  entertainment.  "  Whether  his  men  were  well 
or  ill-clad,  whether  they  kept  their  muskets  clean  or  their  ammu 
nition  in  good  order,  was  of  little  moment  to  him ;  he  never 
inquired  about  it ;  but  the  music  !  that  was  the  thing  !  the  haut 
boys — he  never  could  have  enough  of  them." 

Washington  was  resolved,  as  he  said,  "  to  clip  the  wings  "  of 
the  Hessians,  who,  by  their  brutality  and  cupidity,  had  excited 
such  universal  detestation.  The  approaching  Christmas,  a  time 
of  general  festivity  among  the  Germans,  offered  a  favorable  op 
portunity.  The  plans  were  carefully  laid.  Washington  was  to 
cross  the  Delaware  about  nine  miles  above  Trenton,  and,  march 
ing  down  the  river,  fall  upon  the  troops  at  that  place.  Ewing, 


Dec.  25-26, -| 
1776.        J 


WASHINGTON    CROSSES    THE    DELAWARE. 


with  the  Pennsylvania  militia,  was  to  cross  a  mile  below  the  town, 
and,  securing  the  bridge  over  the  Assanpink,  a  creek  flowing 
along  the  south,  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  enemy.  General  Gates 
was  to  take  command  of  troops  under  General  Putnam,  Cadwal- 
lader,  and  Colonel  Reed,  and,  crossing  at  Bristol,  to  fall  upon 
Count  Donop  at  Bordentown.  The  night  was  dark  and  stormy, 
with  sleet  and  snow ;  the  river  angry  and  threatening,  with  cakes 


WASHINGTON   CROSSING  THE    DELAWARE. 


of  grinding  ice;  so  bitter  was  the  cold  that  two  of  the  men  were 
frozen  stiff  in  death.  Putnam  was  detained  at  Philadelphia  by 
rumors  of  insurrection.  Cadwallader,  honest  and  zealous,  came 
down  to  the  river,  but  found  the  floating  ice  so  thick  that  he  sent 
back  word  he  could  not  cross.  Ewing  did  not  even  make  an 
attempt.  Reed,  discouraged,  went  into  the  enemy's  lines  at  Bur 
lington,  and,  it  is  said,  obtained  a  protection  from  Donop.  Gates, 
impatient  of  control,  disobeyed  orders,  and  set  out  for  Baltimore 
to  intrigue  with  Congress.  There  was  different  stuff  in  Washing 
ton  and  his  officers.  Here  were  Stark,  Greene,  Stirling,  Sullivan, 
Knox,  Monroe,  Hamilton — heroes  all. 

Just  as  they  reached  the  river,  a  courier  came  announcing  the 
failure  of  Gates.  He  had  easily  traced  the  track  of  the  army  by 
the  blood  on  the  snow  from  those  whose  shoes  were  broken.  All 


192  INDEPENDENCE    YEAR.  [Df7766' 

the  burden  was  on  Washington,  but  there  was  no  thought  of  turn 
ing  back.  Anxious  and  troubled,  he  stood  on  the  shore  watching 
the  boats  as  they  were  ferried  across  by  Marblehead  boatmen,  the 
same  who  had  brought  the  army  over  from  Brooklyn  on  the 
eventful  morning  of  August  30. 

It  was  gray  twilight  before  the  men  and  the  guns  were  in  line 
on  the  opposite  bank.  Then  came  nine  miles  march  through  the 
howling  storm.  Sullivan  led  his  men  by  the  river ;  Washington 
conducted  another  column  along  the  upper  Pennington  road. 
The  former,  finding  that  the  arms  of  his  men  were  wet,  sent  a 
messenger  to  Washington  to  report  the  fact.  The  orderly  re 
turned,  dismayed  by  the  sudden  reply  he  had  received,  to  "go 
back  and  tell  his  general  to  use  the  bayonet."  They  were  near 
the  town.  It  was  broad  daylight.  But  the  storm  had  driven  even 
the  sentries  inside.  As  Washington  approached  the  village,  he 
hailed  a  wood-chopper  by  the  roadside,  and  asked,  "  Which  way 
is  the  Hessian  picket  ?"  "  I  don't  know,"  was  the  surly  reply.  An 
officer  interposed,  "  You  may  tell ;  this  is  General  Washington." 
Dropping  his  axe,  and  raising  his  eyes  to  heaven,  the  patriot 
laborer  exclaimed,  "  God  bless  and  prosper  you !  The  picket  is  in 
that  house,  and  yonder  stands  the  sentry."  The  advance  rushed 
forward.  There  was  a  shout,  "  Der  feind  !  der  feind !  Heraus  ! 
heraus  !"  (The  enemy  !  Turn  out !)  The  tardy  sentries  sought 
to  make  a  stand,  but  the  rush  swept  them  alon^.  Just  then  there 
came  the  sharp  rattle  of  Sullivan's  guns  from  the  lower  town. 
The  drums  beat  the  alarm.  The  town  was  in  an  uproar.  The 
Hessians,  aroused,  flew  to  arms,  some  firing  from  the  windows, 
and  some  hastily  forming  their  ranks.  The  British  light  horse 
and  about  five  hundred  Hessians  and  Chasseurs  fled  by  the  bridge 
across  the  Assanpink. 

Rail  had  received  word  the  day  before  that  he  would  be  at 
tacked  that  night,  and  about  dusk  a  party  had  come  swiftly  out 
of  the  woods,  and,  firing  upon  one  of  his  pickets,  departed.  He 
had  ordered  his  men  into  their  ranks,  strengthened  the  outposts, 
and  himself  scoured  the  woods.  Finding  nothing,  and  thinking 
this  all  that  there  was  to  be,  he  had  gone  to  a  Christmas  supper  and 
spent  the  night  in  card-playing,  drinking,  and  revelry.  At  early 
dawn  a  messenger  came  from  a  tory  with  a  note  bearing  news  of 
the  crossing  of  the  river  by  the  American  forces.  The  negro  ser 
vant,  obeying  his  master's  orders,  refused  him  admittance.  Know 
ing  the  importance  of  the  message,  he  prevailed  on  the  servant  to 


Df7cj626']  BATTLE    OF    TRENTON.  193, 

carry  the  note  to  the  officer.  Rail,  on  receiving-  it,  excited  by 
wine  and  the  play,  thrust  it  unopened  into  his  pocket.  But  now 
came  a  different  warning.  The  rattle  of  the  guns  was  not  to  be 
mistaken.  Only  half  sobered  by  the  sudden  surprise  and  the 
bitter  cold,  he  attempted  to  rally  his  men.  Captain  Washington 
and  Lieutenant  Monroe  rushed  forward  with  a  party  and  cap 
tured  the  guns  in  front  of  his  quarters,  as  the  gunners  stood  with 
lighted  matches  in  their  hands  ready  to  fire.  Washington  and 
Sullivan  had  now  joined  forces,  and  Forest's  battery  of  six  guns 
was  opened  upon  the  dismayed  Hessians  at  only  three  hundred 
paces.  Washington,  himself,  was  in  front  directing  every  move 
ment.  Rail,  however,  extricated  his  men  and  drew  them  up  in  an 
orchard  east  of  the  village.  By  a  quick  movement,  Hand's  regi 
ment  of  riflemen  was  thrown  on  his  rear.  Even  now,  with  a  des 
perate  resolve,  he  might  have  cut  his  way  out ;  but  he  could  not 
think  of  fleeing  from  his  despised  foes,  and  the  Hessians  were  loath 
to  give  up  the  booty  they  had  collected  in  their  quarters.  The 
word  was  given  to  charge.  In  the  midst  Rail  was  struck  by  a  ball 
and  fell  from  his  horse.  His  troops,  quickly  hemmed  in  by  the  ex 
ulting  Americans,  surrendered.  It  was  an  hour  of  triumph.  "  The 
Lord  of  hosts,"  wrote  the  praeses  of  the  Pennsylvania  German 
Lutherans,  "  heard  the  cries  of  the  distressed,  and  sent  an  angel 
for  their  deliverance."  Washington,  overwhelmed  by  supreme 
joy,  clasped  his  hands  and  raised  his  eyes  gleaming  with  thankful 
ness  to  heaven.  Nearly  one  thousand  prisoners,  twelve  hundred 
small  arms,  six  guns,  and  all  the  standards  of  the  brigade,  were 
the  trophies  of  this  victory.  Had  the  other  detachments  carried 
out  the  part  assigned  to  them,  there  would  have  been  a  complete 
capture  at  Trenton,  while  the  various  posts  along  the  Delaware 
would  have  shared  the  same  fate. 

Washington  dared  not  stay  in  the  quarters  so  hardly  won, 
as  the  enemy,  alarmed  by  the  fugitives  from  the  battle,  would 
soon  gather.  Before  leaving  Trenton,  however,  accompanied 
by  Greene,  he  visited  Rail.  Here  the  soldier  was  lost  in  the 
Christian,  and  the  dying  hours  of  the  Hessian  officer  were 
soothed  by  the  sympathy  of  his  generous  foe.  "  The  remem 
brance  of  the  deed,"  says  Lossing,  "  seems  to  play,  like  an  electric 
spark,  around  the  pen  of  the  historian  while  recording  it."  Back 
through  the  same  storm  amid  which  it  had  come  the  little  army 
now  toiled,  conveying  its  prisoners  and  spoils.  Another  night  of 
peril  and  hardships  in  recrossing  the  river  brought  them  again  to 
13 


194 


INDEPENDENCE    YEAR. 


TDec., 
Ll  776. 


their  old  camp,  after  an  absence  of  forty  hours.     Stirling  and  half 
the  men  were  disabled  by  the  exposure. 

This  daring  stroke  gave  a  new  impulse  to  the  cause  of  liberty. 
The  prestige  of  invincibility  which   had   hitherto  preceded  the 


WASHINGTON'S  VISIT  TO  GENERAL  RALL. 

Hessians  was  broken.  Those  who  had  grown  lukewarm  now 
became  ardent  again.  Tories  were  depressed.  The  general 
whom  all  thought  so  slow  was  found  to  be  bold  and  dashing 
when  the  proper  opportunity  arrived.  Howe,  alarmed,  sent 
Cornwallis  with  reinforcements  back  into  Jersey  for  a  winter 
campaign.  "  All  our  hopes,"  said  Lord  George  Germain,  "  were 
blasted  by  the  unhappy  affair  at  Trenton."  News  of  the  victory 
having  reached  Congress,  the  president  attempted  to  announce 
the  fact,  but  broke  down,  and  could  only  call  upon  the  secretary 
to  read  Washington's  modest  despatch. 

Meanwhile,  Washington's  hands  had  been  strengthened  by 
Congress.  He  was  made  virtually  a  dictator  for  six  months, 
being  authorized  to  remove  any  officer  under  brigadier-general, 
to  fill  any  vacancy,  to  seize  supplies  for  the  use  of  the  army,  to 


Dec.,! 
1776. J 


STATE    OF    THE    FINANCES. 


195 


arrest  the  disaffected,  and  to  raise  troops  at  his  discretion.  The 
regiments  whose  time  expired  the  first  of  January  were  induced 
to  remain  by  a  bounty  of  ten  dollars  to  each  man.  The  military 
chest  was  empty,  but  Washington  applied  to  Robert  Morris,  the 
rich  patriot  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  who  had  just  sent  up  to 
the  commander-in-chief  a  small  sum  of  "  hard  money,"  namely, 
four  hundred  and  ten  Spanish  dollars,  two  crowns  ten  shillings 
and  sixpence  in  English  coin,  and  a  French  half-crown.  The  exi 
gencies  now  required  a  large  amount,  and  Morris  was  at  a  loss 
how  to  meet  the  sudden  demand.  The  records  of  the  time  tell 
how,  on  New-Year's  morning,  he  went  from  house  to  house, 
rousing  the  inmates  from  their  beds,  to  borrow  money.  He  had 
no  success ;  but  at  last,  while  walking  home  from  his  office, 
anxiously  considering  the  case,  he  met  a  wealthy  Quaker,  to 
whom  he  imparted  the  state  of  affairs.  "  Robert,  what  security 
canst  thou  give?"  asked  the  Quaker.  "  My  note  and  my  honor," 
said  Morris.  "  Robert,  thou  shalt  have  it,"  was  the  reply ;  and 
the  next  morning  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  was  on  its  way 
to  Washington. 


ROBERT   MORRIS. 


OF   THE 

UNIVERSITY 


CHAPTER   IV. 


THM® 


OF  THE  (REVOLUTION—  1777. 


IHE  year  dawned  brightly  for  the 
new  Republic.  The  term,  "  Great 
news  from  the  Jerseys,"  now  grew 
into  a  popular  saying.  Wide 
spread  was  the  panic  among  the 
British  troops.  December  25th, 
General  Griffin,  with  some  Penn 
sylvania  militia,  finding  he  was 
too  weak  to  join  in  the  proposed 
attack,  and  wishing  to  do  some 
thing  in  the  good  cause,  managed 
to  decoy  Donop  and  the  Hessians 
off  on  a  fruitless  chase  as  far  as 

Mount  Holly.  There  he  left  them  to  find  their  way  back  as  best 
they  could.  On  the  2/th,  Cadwallader  crossed  the  Delaware. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Colonel  Reed,  who  had  become  a  warm 
patriot  again,  and  was  ever  after  the  friend  and  confidant  of 
Washington.  They  found  Burlington,  Bordentown,  and  other 
posts  deserted,  the  British  having  fled  precipitately.  All  along 
the  road  the  inhabitants  were  busy  tearing  down  the  red  rags  — 
tory  signals  —  from  their  doors. 

Washington  having  given  his  men  a  brief  rest,  recrossed  the 
Delaware  and  took  post  at  Trenton.  Here  he  managed  to  collect 
five  thousand  men,  three-fifths  of  whom  were  merchants,  mechan 
ics,  and  farmers,  who  knew  nothing  of  war,  but,  inspired  with 
love  of  country,  had  left  their  warm  firesides  in  the  midst  of 
winter  to  lie  upon  the  ground  without  tent  or  shelter  ;  to  march 
through  snow  and  storm  ;  to  encounter  privation  and  danger,  if 
only  they  could  drive  back  the  foe. 

Cornwallis  was  now  pressing  forward  from  Princeton  with  the 


J,a7n7'73']  BATTLE    OF    PRINCETON.  197 

flower  of  the  British  army.  His  advance,  annoyed  by  troops 
hidden  in  the  woods  who  stubbornly  disputed  every  inch  of 
ground,  was  slow.  At  Trenton  he  found  Washington's  army 
drawn  up  behind  the  Assanpink,  with  the  bridge,  across  which 
the  cavalry  escaped  on  the  famous  morning  of  December  26th, 
and  all  the  neighboring  houses  and  barns,  strongly  held.  It  was 
late.  Sir  William  Erskine  urged  to  storm  the  position  that  night, 
but  Cornwallis  replied  that  his  troops  were  weary  and  he  would 
"catch  the  fox  in  the  morning." 

Washington's  situation  was  perilous  in  the  extreme.  Before 
him  was  a  powerful  army,  behind,  an  impassable  river.  To 
retreat  was  to  give  up  Jersey  to  the  enemy.  If  he  stayed  he  could 
hardly  hope  for  victory.  He  determined  to  sweep  around  the 
British  left,  by  a  circuitous  route  known  as  the  Quaker  road,  to 
Princeton,  where  he  presumed  there  were  few  troops  remaining, 
and  thence,  perhaps,  gain  the  English  magazines  at  Brunswick. 
The  army  began  to  move  at  midnight.  The  roads,  however,  were 
muddy  and  the  cannon  could  not  be  moved.  Suddenly  the  wind 
veered,  and  within  a  few  hours  the  ground  everywhere  became 
as  hard  as  a  pavement.  To  conceal  the  movement,  men  were  set 
at  throwing  up  earthworks  near  the  bridge.  The  sentinels  kept 
their  posts  until  daybreak,  heaping  fuel  on  the  blazing  fires. 

About  sunrise,  having  arrived  near  Princeton,  Washington, 
with  the  main  body,  turned  off  by  a  nearer  and  side  road  to  the 
college,  while  General  Mercer,  with  his  brigade,  kept  on  along 
the  Quaker  road  to  the  turnpike,  where  he  was  to  break  down  the 
bridge  over  Stony  Brook,  and  thus  intercept  any  fugitives  from 
Princeton  and  any  reinforcements  from  Cornwallis  at  Trenton. 
Just  then  the  British  seventeenth  regiment  and  the  fifty-fifth 
regiment,  Colonel  Mawhood,  had  crossed  the  bridge  en  route  for 
Trenton.  Catching  sight  of  the  patriot  guns  gleaming  in  the 
sunrise,  Mawhood  hurried  back  with  his  regiment.  Both  par 
ties  rushed  to  secure  an  advantageous  post  on  the  high  ground 
at  the  right,  toward  Princeton.  The  Americans,  reaching  it  first, 
took  position  behind  a  fence,  whence  they  opened  fire  upon  the 
British.  It  was  sharply  returned.  Mercer's  horse  fell  under  him. 
In  the  confusion  Mawhood  charged.  The  Americans,  having  no 
bayonets,  broke.  Mercer,  while  trying  to  rally  them,  was 
knocked  down  with  the  butt  end  of  a  musket,  and,  refusing  to  ask 
for  quarter,  but  defending  himself  to  the  last,  was  repeatedly 
stabbed  and  left  for  dead.  Just  then  Washington,  hearing  the 


198 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


[Jan._3, 


1777. 


guns,  came  to  the  rescue  with  the  Pennsylvania  militia,  and,  ral 
lying  the  fugitives,  led  them  to  the  charge.  The  raw  troops 
wavered.  Washington,  dashing  to  the  front  within  thirty  paces 
of  the  enemy,  reined  in  his  horse  just  as  both  lines  fired  a  volley. 
Fitzgerald,  his  devoted  aide-de-camp,  drew  his  cap  over  his  eyes 
that  he  might  not  see  the  death  of  his  beloved  general.  The 
smoke  cleared  away,  and  there  still  stood  the  commanding  form 


of  Washington,  calm  and  imperturbable,  as  if 
on  parade.  "  Thank  God  !  "  exclaimed  Fitz 
gerald,  "  your  excellency  is  saved  ! "  "  Away, 
and  bring  up  the  troops!  The  day  is  our 
own !  "  cried  the  heroic  commander,  his  eye 
ablaze  with  inspiration  and  resolve.  Troops  now  coming  up  on 
every  side,  the  British  fell  back,  and  it  was  only  by  their  desperate 
valor  and  perfect  discipline  that  they  escaped  over  the  fields  and 
fences  to  the  Trenton  road  and  across  the  brook.  Washington, 
in  the  midst  of  the  conflict,  marked  their  superior  control  and 
exclaimed  to  his  officers,  "  See  how  those  noble  fellows  fight. 
Ah,  gentlemen !  when  shall  we  be  able  to  keep  an  army  long 
enough  together  to  display  a  discipline  equal  to  our  enemies'  ?  " 

Meanwhile,  the  rest  of  the  Americans  had  engaged  the  fifty- 
fifth  and  fortieth  regiments,  which  had  come  up  too  late  for  the 
fight.  Again,  after  a  sharp  contest,  the  British  were  defeated. 
A  part  fled  to  the  Brunswick  road,  and  the  rest  took  refuge  in 


J,^7?']  BATTLE    OF    PRINCETON.  199 

the  college.  The  artillery  opened  upon  them.  The  first  ball,  it 
is  said,  passed  through  the  portrait  of  George  II.,  hanging  in  the 
room  used  for  a  chapel,  neatly  taking  off  the  monarch's  head. 
Captain  Moore  and  his  brave  companions  soon  broke  open  the 
door,  and  the  occupants  were  glad  to  surrender.  The  American 
loss  had  been  trifling,  except  in  officers,  while  that  of  the  British 
was  two  hundred  killed  and  wounded  and  two  hundred  and 
thirty  prisoners.  Washington,  with  his  wearied  men,  did  not 
dare  to  continue  on  to  Brunswick,  but  turned  toward  Morris- 
town,  where,  among  the  rugged  highlands,  he  would  be  safe  from 
pursuit. 

That  morning's  light  had  revealed  to  Cornwallis  the  smoulder 
ing  watch-fires  and  the  deserted  camp  of  the  Americans.  No  one 
could  tell  him  whither  his  enemy  had  gone.  Even  the  tories, 
usually  so  watchful,  were  at  fault.  He  heard  the  guns  at  Prince 
ton  through  the  keen,  frosty  air,  but  mistook  it  for  thunder. 
Erskine,  however,  was  not  deceived.  He  exclaimed,  "  To  arms, 
General!  Washington  has  outgeneraled  us.  Let  us  fly  to  the 
rescue  at  Princeton."  Chagrined  at  his  blunder,  and  alarmed  for 
the  safety  of  his  magazines  at  Brunswick,  Cornwallis  roused  his 
men  and  hastened  back  toward  Princeton.  As  his  advance-guard 
came  in  sight  of  Stony  Brook,  they  saw  a  party  which  Washing 
ton  had  sent  back  under  Major  Kelly  to  tear  down  the  bridge. 
Opening  fire,  they  drove  off  the  men;  but  the  major  kept  on 
chopping  desperately  at  the  log  which  held  up  the  timbers,  till  at 
last  it  suddenly  gave  Avay,  and  he  fell  into  the  stream.  Hastily 
scrambling  out,  he  started  to  run,  but  his  wet  clothes  impeded  his 
progress,  and  he  was  afterward  captured.  Cormvallis  could  not 
stop  to  repair  the  bridge,  and  so,  ordering  his  men  into  the  water, 
they  forded  the  swollen  brook,  and  in  their  "  mail  of  frozen 
clothes  "  hastened  on  to  Princeton. 

Suddenly  they  were  brought  to  a  stand  by  a  shot  fired  from  a 
heavy  thirty-two  pounder  in  an  entrenchment  at  the  entrance  of 
the  village.  Supposing  the  patriots  to  be  there  in  force,  he  sent 
out  horsemen  to  reconnoitre,  and  prepared  to  storm  the  battery. 
The  cavalry  found  the  gun  deserted.  It  had  been  fired  by  a 
straggler  from  Washington's  rear-guard. 

The  delay  at  the  brook  and  the  breastwork  had  given  time  for 
the  patriots  to  escape.  Cornwallis,  dejected  and  disheartened, 
went  on  to  Brunswick.  A  bolder  general  might  have  pursued 
the  Americans,  but  the  British,  just  then,  were  in  no  mood  for  any 


200  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [,J7a7n7-; 

rash  enterprise  against  a  general  whose  strategy  had  proved  so 
superior  to  all  their  discipline  and  numbers. 

Meanwhile  the  patriot  army  was  toiling  forward,  the  men  so 
weary  from  lack  of  food  and  sleep  that  they  often  dropped  down 
on  the  frozen  ground,  and,  sinking  into  a  lethargic  slumber,  were 
aroused  only  by  the  blows  and  shouts  of  their  companions.  That 
night,  chilled  and  half-clothed,  with  no  tents  or  blankets,  they  lay 
in  the  \voods  at  Somerset  Court-House,  an  easy  prey,  had  the 
enemy  been  at  hand. 

These  exploits  won  for  Washington  universal  applause.  He 
was  declared  to  be  the  saver  of  his  country.  Europe  rang  with 
praises  of  the  New  World's  general.  Frederick  the  Great  of  Prus 
sia  declared  that  his  achievements  were  the  most  brilliant  of  any 
recorded  on  the  pages  of  history.  Before  the  sixty  days  mentioned 
in  Howe's  proclamation  had  expired,  Washington  issued  a  counter 
one,  commanding  that  all  who  had  signed  the  British  pardon 
should,  within  thirty  days,  either  withdraw  to  the  English  lines 
or  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States,  on  pain  of 
being  held  as  common  enemies.  The  excesses  of  the  British  army 
had  aroused  the  bitterest  hatred.  The  day  of  deliverance  seemed 
now  to  have  come,  and  all  classes  were  animated  with  the  hope  of 
"  expelling  these  infamous  robbers."  Armed  men  sprang  up  as  if 
from  the  ground.  Foraging  parties  were  everywhere  cut  off,  and 
soon  the  British  dared  not  venture  outside  their  lines.  The  day 
Washington  reached  Morristown,  one  Oliver  Spencer,  with  some 
New  Jersey  militia,  routed  an  equal  body  of  Hessians,  taking 
thirty-nine  prisoners.  The  same  afternoon,  Governor  Clinton, 
coming  down  with  a  small  force  from  Peekskill,  captured  Hack- 
ensack,  the  garrison  making  a  speedy  flight.  General  Maxwell 
took  Elizabethtown  and  one  hundred  prisoners.  General  Dickin 
son,  with  four  hundred  raw  volunteers,  forded  the  river  near  Som 
erset  Court-House,  and  attacked  a  foraging  party,  taking  several 
prisoners,  forty  wagons,  and  one  hundred  English  draught  horses. 
Before  the  close  of  January  the  British  held  only  Brunswick,  Am- 
boy,  and  Paulus  Hook. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  war  there  had  been  hopes  of  obtain 
ing  aid  from  Europe.  The  French  were  especially  well  disposed 
to  the  Americans,  partly  because  of  hatred  to  England,  and  partly 
of  a  love  for  liberty  which  was  gaining  ground  among  the  people 
of  that  country.  In  1776,  Silas  Deane,  of  Connecticut,  had  been 
sent  as  commissioner  to  France.  He  accomplished  little,  however. 


#77' 1  FRANKLIN    AT    THE    FRENCH    COURT.  2OI 


1777.J 


He  sent  back  only  about  fifteen  thousand  old  muskets,  and  was 
strongly  suspected  of  misappropriating  the  public  funds.  He 
was  afterward  followed  by  Benjamin  Franklin  and  Arthur  Lee. 
The  former,  already  noted  as  a  philosopher,  in  his  quaint  Quaker 
garb,  calf-skin  shoes  tied  with  leather  strings,  and  his  plain,  repub 
lican  manners,  was  a  novelty  in  high  French  circles.  His  wit,  his 
sturdy  common  sense,  and  his  fascinating  conversation,  attracted 
universal  admiration,  and  he  instantly  became  the  lion  of  the  day. 
The  fashionable  world  went  crazy  over  the  strange  American,  who 
was  formally  presented  to  the  king  in  a  plain  Manchester  velvet 
coat — the  same  which  he  had  worn  in  England  when  he  appeared 
before  the  Privy  Council  as  agent  for  Massachusetts — white  stock 
ings,  with  spectacles  on  his  nose,  a  white  hat  under  his  arm,  and 
his  thin  gray  hair  quite  innocent  of  powder.  When  he  visited  the 
theatre  or  opera,  the  brilliant  audiences  rose  to  receive  and  greet 
him  with  wild  applause.  Elegant  fetes  were  given  in  his  honor, 
and  of  three  hundred  lovely  women,  the  most  beautiful  was  chosen 
to  crown  his  gray  hairs  with  a  wreath  of  laurel  and  salute  his 
cheeks  with  a  kiss.  Franklin  modestly  accepted  all  these  ex 
travagant  attentions  as  offered  only  through  him  to  his  beloved 
country. 

He  soon  secured  a  promise  of  secret  assistance.  Fifty-six 
thousand  hogsheads  of  tobacco  were  to  be  furnished  the  agents 
of  the  French  government,  upon  which  an  advance  of  a  million 
francs  was  obtained.  More  than  twenty  thousand  stands  of  arms 
and  one  thousand  barrels  of  powder  reached  America  during 
the  ensuing  campaign.  Quite  as  valuable  were  the  gallant  volun 
teers  who  espoused  our  cause  and  came  across  the  ocean  to  help 
fight  the  battles  of  freedom. 

Marquis  de  Lafayette,  at  a  banquet  given  in  honor  of  the 
brother  of  the  English  king,  first  heard  the  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence.  The  effect  upon  him  was  quite  contrary  to  that  intended. 
Won  by  its  arguments,  he  from  that  time  joined  his  hopes  and 
sympathies  to  the  American  side.  Yet,  how  was  he  to  aid  it  ? 
The  French  nobility,  though  heartily  disliking  England,  did  not 
endorse  the  action  of  her  colonies.  He  was  not  yet  twenty  years 
of  age ;  he  had  just  married  a  woman  whom  he  tenderly  loved ; 
his  prospects  at  home  for  honor  and  happiness  were  bright.  To 
join  the  patriot  army  would  take  him  from  his  native  land,  his 
wife,  and  all  his  coveted  ambitions,  and  would  lead  him  into 
a  struggle  that  seemed  as  hopeless  as  its  cause  was  just.  But 


202 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


TApril  2 
L     1777. 


25, 


his  zeal  for  America  overcame  all  this.  Other  difficulties  now 
arose.  His  family  objected ;  the  British  minister  protested ;  the 
French  king  withheld  his  permission.  Still  undaunted,  he  pur 
chased  a  vessel,  fitted  it  out  at  his  own  expense,  and,  escaping  the 
officers  sent  to  detain  him,  crossed  the  ocean.  Arriving  at  Charles 
ton,  he  hastened  to  Philadelphia,  and,  offering  himself  to  Congress, 
asked  permission  to  serve  as  a  volunteer  without  pay.  A  few 
days  after,  his  acquaintance  with  Washington  began,  which  soon 
ripened  into  a  tender  and  intimate  friendship. 

Baron  de  Kalb  accompanied  Lafayette.  He  was  a  French 
officer  of  skill  and  experience,  and  received  the  appointment  of 
major-general  in  the  Continental  army.  He  proved  a  valuable 
officer,  and  met  a  glorious  death  amid  the  rout  at  Camden. 


BARON   DE   KALB. 


Kosciusko,  a  Pole  of  noble  birth,  was  commended  to  Washing 
ton  by  Franklin,  and  offered  himself  "  to  fight  as  a  volunteer  for 
American  independence."  "  What  can  you  do  ?"  asked  the  com 
mander.  "  Try  me,"  was  Kosciusko's  laconic  reply.  Washington 
was  greatly  pleased  with  him,  and  made  him  his  aid.  He  became 
a  colonel  in  the  engineer  corps,  and  superintended  the  construc 
tion  of  the  works  at  West  Point. 

Count  Pulaski,  a  Polish  officer  who  had  performed  many 
daring  exploits  during  the  struggles  of  his  native  country  for 
liberty,  entered  the  service  of  the  United  States  this  year. 
"  Pulaski's  American  Legion "  afterward  won  great  renown  and 
did  excellent  service. 

The  English  government  was  now  making  every  exertion  to 
fill  up  the  army  for  the  ensuing  campaign.  The  most  reliance 


Maiy777.ne>]        ENGLISH   PREPARATIONS   FOR   THE   CAMPAIGN.  203 

was  placed  upon  the  Hessians ;  but  the  German  princes  met  with 
great  difficulty  in  supplying  recruits.  The  cause  was  unpopular 
among  the  people,  and  desertions  were  numerous.  Officers 
picked  up  men  anywhere  they  could  find  them.  Foreigners,  vag 
abonds,  and  loose  fellows — even  unprotected  travelers  were  forced 
into  the  ranks.  Troops  had  to  be  driven  on  shipboard  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet.  The  regiments  of  Anspach,  for  example, 
could  not  be  trusted  with  arms  or  ammunition.  When  it  came  to 
embarking,  the  guard  was  unable  to  get  them  aboard,  and  the 
landgrave  himself  was  sent  for  in  all  haste.  He  personally  took 
the  place  of  driver,  and,  by  the  power  of  his  traditional  authority, 
at  last  succeeded  in  forcing  the  reluctant  and  rebellious  soldiers 
into  the  boats.  Frederick  of  Prussia,  we  are  told,  was  disgusted 
with  this  whole  mercenary  scheme.  Metternich,  as  the  repre 
sentative  of  the  Austrian  court,  reclaimed  the  subjects  of  that 
country.  Thus  the  English  army  secured  only  about  enough 
Hessians  to  make  up  the  loss  at  Trenton. 

The  most  flattering  proposals  were  made  to  induce  the  cap 
tured  American  sailors  to  enlist  in  the  British  navy.  The  reply 
of  one  of  them,  Nathan  Coffin,  is  worthy  of  immortality,  "  Hang 
me  to  the  yard-arm  of  your  ship  if  you  will,  but  do  not  ask  me  to 
become  a  traitor  to  my  country." 

Enlistments  among  the  tories  were  encouraged.  Tryon,  who 
was  a  fitting  tool,  was  put  in  charge  of  this  detestable  work. 
Commissions  were  issued  freely.  De  Lancey  of  New  York  and 
Skinner  of  New  Jersey  were  made  brigadiers.  It  was  a  common 
boast  of  the  loyalists  that  as  many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  States 
were  taken  into  the  pay  of  the  crown  as  into  that  of  Congress. 
This  was  doubtless  an  exaggeration,  yet  Sabine,  in  his  "  Loyalists 
of  the  American  Revolution,"  estimates  twenty-five  thousand  as  a 
low  figure  for  the  total  number  who  thus  not  only  proved  recreant 
to  the  cause  of  liberty,  but  took  up  arms  against  it  in  the  service 
of  the  tyrant. 

The  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  were  also  called  in  to  aid 
the  king  in  this  emergency.  The  entire  frontier,  it  was  hoped, 
would  resound  with  the  war-whoop,  as  in  the  terrible  days  of 
Philip  and  Pontiac.  The  merciful  provisions  of  Sir  Guy  Carle- 
ton,  in  command  in  Canada,  for  the  employment  of  the  Indians, 
were  revoked.  "  The  Ottawas,  the  Chippewas,  the  Wyandottes, 
the  Shawnees,  the  Senecas,  the  Delawares,  and  the  Pottawato- 
mies,"  wrote  the  secretary,  Lord  Germain,  "  are  no  longer  to  be 


204  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [J,^7'; 

restrained."  The  employment  of  such  allies  was  severely  de 
nounced  by  the  opposition  in  the  British  parliament.  "  If  I  were 
an  American,  as  I  am  an  Englishman,"  exclaimed  Pitt  in  an 
eloquent  speech  on  the  subject,  "  while  a  foreign  troop  was  landed 
in  my  country,  I  never  would  lay  down  my  arms — never,  never, 
NEVER ! " 

This  year  witnessed  the  first  celebration  of  the  signing  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence.  The  Pennsylvania  Journal  of  that 
date  gives  a  glowing  description  of  the  festivities  in  Philadelphia. 
The  firing  of  salutes,  music  from  the  Hessian  band  taken  at  Tren 
ton,  feux  de  joie  from  a  corps  of  British  deserters,  a  congressional 
dinner  with  toasts  for  the  living  and  the  dead,  and  a  military  re 
view,  filled  up  the  day.  In  the  evening  there  were  the  ringing 
of  bells  and  an  exhibition  of  fireworks — the  latter  beginning  and 
ending  with  the  flight  of  thirteen  rockets.  "  Thus,"  says  the 
writer,  "may  the  Fourth  of  July,  that  glorious  and  ever-memo 
rable  day,  be  celebrated  through  America  by  the  sons  of  freedom 
from  age  to  age,  till  time  shall  be  no  more.  Amen  and  Amen ! " 

George  III.,  we  are  told,  was  interested  in  the  minutest  detail 
of  the  American  war.  The  plan  for  the  campaign  of  1777,  which 
was  adopted  in  his  closet,  was  for  General  Howe  to  take  care  of 
Washington  and  his  army  and  seize  Philadelphia  ;  General  Bur- 
goyne  was  to  move  from  Canada  by  the  old  French  and  Indian 
war  route  up  Lake  Champlain,  while  Clinton  was  to  ascend  the 
Hudson  from  New  York ;  thus  all  intercourse  between  New  Eng 
land  and  the  other  States  would  be  cut  off,  and  the  navigation  of 
the  Hudson  secured.  Burgoyne  left  Canada  with  a  force  of,  per 
haps,  ten  thousand  British  and  Indians.  Near  Crown  Point  he 
gave  a  grand  feast  to  the  chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations,  after  which 
four  hundred  of  their  warriors  took  the  war-path  with  the  British 
general.  Here  a  grandiloquent  proclamation  was  issued,  declar 
ing  how  difficult  it  would  be  to  restrain  his  savage  allies  in  case 
any  resistance  should  be  offered  to  the  progress  of  the  royal  forces 
under  his  command. 

At  evening  on  the  ist  of  July,  he  appeared  before  Fort  Ticon- 
deroga.  St.  Clair,  who  was  in  command  at  that  point,  had 
written  not  long  before :  "  Should  the  enemy  attack  us  they  will 
go  back  faster  than  they  came."  On  the  5th,  the  British  dragged 
a  battery  of  heavy  guns  up  Mount  Defiance,  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  outlet,  which  commanded  both  Ticonderoga  and  Fort  Inde 
pendence,  but  was  supposed  to  be  inaccessible  to  artillery.  St. 


Ju 


uly  6,1 
17*7.  J 


RECAPTURE    OF    TICONDEROGA. 


205 


Clair  had  no  chance  of  defence.  That  night,  with  his  garrison  of 
three  thousand  men,  he  escaped  in  the  darkness  by  land  and  water, 
taking  only  such  stores  as  his  boats  could  carry.  The  burning  of 
his  residence  at  Fort  Independence  by  General  De  Fermoy,  in  vio 
lation  of  express  orders,  revealed  to  the  enemy  what  was  trans 
piring.  General  Fraser 
pushed  on  eagerly  in  pur 
suit.  Burgoyne,  at  day 
break,  took  possession  of 
the  forts.  It  was  the  third 
time  Fort  Ticonderoga 
had  been  captured  with 
out  bloodshed. 

At  sunrise  on  the  7th, 
Fraser  overtook  the  rear 
guard  of  the  Americans 
at  Hubbardton  while 
they  were  at  breakfast. 
Fraser  had  only  about 
eight  hundred  men ;  while 
there  were  three  regi 
ments  of  the  Americans 
under  Seth  Warner,  Fran 
cis,  and  Hale.  The  last,  with  his  men,  disgracefully  fled  toward 
Castleton,  and  en  route  meeting  a  body  of  the  British,  surren 
dered  without  resistance.  Warner  and  Francis  gallantly  rallied 
the  remainder,  about  seven  hundred  in  number,  and  turning  upon 
the  British,  seemed  on  the  point  of  winning  the  day  ;  but  Riede- 
sel,  hearing  the  firing,  came  up  with  a  body  of  Hessians,  his 
music  playing  and  his  men  singing  a  battle-hymn.  The  Ameri 
cans  were  forced  to  give  way.  Francis,  after  having  charged 
three  times,  was  killed.  Over  one  hundred  fell  and  two  hundred 
were  taken  prisoners.  Those  who  escaped  scattered  through  the 
woods.  It  was  two  days  before  Warner,  with  ninety  men, 
reached  St.  Clair. 

Meanwhile,  Burgoyne  sent  a  fleet  up  the  lake.  It  overtook  the 
American  flotilla  bearing  the  stores  from  Ticonderoga,  just  as, 
unsuspicious  of  danger,  it  moored  in  the  harbor  at  Whitehall. 
The  Americans  blew  up  some  of  the  galleys,  abandoned  the 
others  with  the  bateaux,  set  fire  to  the  buildings,  and  fled  back 
to  join  General  Schuyler  at  Fort  Edward.  A  British  regiment 


RUINS   OF   FORT  TICONDEROGA. 


206  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [,J7U7'£ 

pursued  them  as  far  as  Fort  Ann.  The  garrison  of  that  post, 
under  Colonel  Long,  consisted  of  about  five  hundred  convales 
cents  and  invalids.  He  gallantly  came  out  to  meet  the  enemy, 
and  took  post  in  a  ravine  about  a  mile  in  front  of  his  works.  The 
British  recoiled  from  his  sharp  fire  and  retreated  to  a  neighboring 
hill.  Following  them  up,  he  would  have  utterly  defeated  them  if 
his  ammunition  had  held  out.  As  it  was,  he  inflicted  a  loss  of 
fifty  men.  When  the  English  came  back  with  reinforcements,  it 
was  only  to  find  the  fort  burned  to  the  ground  and  the  garrison 
escaped. 

The  fall  of  Ticonderoga  and  the  defeat  of  the  army,  with  the 
loss  of  two  hundred  pieces  of  artillery,  fell  upon  the  country  like 
a  thunderbolt  from  the  clear  sky.  "  We  shall  never  be  able  to 
defend  a  fort,"  wrote  John  Adams,  "  till  we  shoot  a  general." 
A  ridiculous  story  obtained  credence  that  Burgoyne  had  paid 
Schuyler  and  St.  Clair  for  their  treachery,  in  silver  bullets  fired 
into  the  American  camp.  Possibilities  of  Schuyler's  treachery 
and  reports  of  his  cowardice  and  incapacity  were  freely  circu 
lated. 

The  entire  country  between  Whitehall  and  Fort  Edward  was 
a  wilderness,  traversed  by  a  single  military  road  leading  through 
extensive  woods  and  morasses  and  crossing  many  creeks.  Bur 
goyne,  on  his  advance,  found  his  path  obstructed  by  fallen  trees, 
broken-down  bridges,  and  ruined  causeways.  Beyond  this, 
Schuyler  did  nothing  to  prevent  the  British  progress,  and  on  the 
2Qth  the  cross  of  St.  George  was  planted  on  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson.  During  the  march,  the  English  army  had  built  with 
infinite  toil  more  than  forty  bridges  and  a  log  causeway  over  two 
miles  long.  This  labor,  under  the  hot  sun  of  July,  by  men  bur 
dened  with  their  equipments  and  annoyed  by  swarms  of  insects, 
had  thoroughly  exhausted  their  strength.  There  was  no  enemy, 
however,  to  dispute  their  way.  Fort  Edward  could  not  be  held, 
and  the  Americans  retired,  first  to  Saratoga,  then  to  Stillwater, 
and  finally  to  the  islands  in  the  Hudson  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Mohawk.  In  spite  of  this  timidity  and  lack  of  skill,  Burgoyne's 
disastrous  fate  was  fast  unfolding  itself. 

Before  leaving  Canada,  he  had  sent  Colonel  St.  Leger  to 
ravage  the  Mohawk  Valley,  thus  creating  a  diversion  in  his  favor, 
and  then  to  meet  him  at  Albany.  St.  Leger  had  induced  one 
thousand  Indians  to  join  his  ranks  as  he  marched  southward  from 
Oswego.  With  Brandt  and  his  Mohawk  Indians,  Johnson  and  his 


A,u/7-7f-]  BATTLE    OF    ORISKANY.  2O/ 

tories,  and  Butler  and  his  rangers,  he  laid  siege  to  Fort  Schuyler, 
late  Fort  Stanwix,  now  Rome.  This  was  at  that  time  the  extreme 
western  settlement  of  the  State.  It  was  a  log  fortification,  built 
on  rising  ground,  and  held  by  two  New  York  regiments  under 
Gansevoort  and  Willett. 

General  Herkimer,  knowing  that  the  fort  was  not  provisioned 
or  equipped  for  a  siege,  raised  a  body  of  militia  from  Tryon 
county,  and  set  out  for  its  relief.  At  Oriskany  they  fell  into  an 
ambuscade.  While  carelessly  marching  through  the  woods, 
"  Johnson's  Greens  "  attacked  them  in  front  and  Brandt's  Indians 
on  both  flanks.  It  was  a  true  battle  of  the  wilderness.  The 
militia,  royalists,  and  savages  were  soon  so  intermingled  that 
there  was  no  room  to  use  fire-arms.  The  white  man  and  Indian, 
wrestling  in  mortal  conflict,  striking  with  bayonet,  hatchet,  and 
hunting-knife,  often  fell  in  the  shade  of  the  forest,  "  their  left  hands 
clenched  in  each  other's  hair,  their  right  grasping,  in  a  grip  of 
death,  the  knife  plunged  in  each  other's  bosom."  Herkimer  was 
mortally  wounded,  but  remained  till  the  end  giving  orders  and 
encouraging  his  companions.  About  four  hundred  of  the  Ameri 
cans  finally  retreated  to  a  knoll  near  by,  where,  from  behind  trees 
and  logs,  they  held  their  ground  until  the  Indians,  suddenly 
shouting  "  Oonah  !  Oonah  !  "  hastened  back  to  save  their  camp. 

While  this  struggle  was  going  on,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Willett, 
with  a  part  of  the  garrison,  had  made  a  daring  sally  toward  the 
scene  of  conflict.  They  drove  all  before  them — rangers,  tories, 
savages,  and  squaws.  Hearing,  however,  of  Herkimer's  mis 
fortune,  they  went  back  to  the  fort  without  losing  a  man,  carry 
ing  with  them  kettles,  furs,  five  flags,  and  a  few  prisoners. 

When  the  enemy  first  appeared,  the  garrison  was  without  a 
flag,  but  with  true  American  ingenuity,  one  had  been  straightway 
improvised.  Shirts  were  cut  up  to  form  the  white  stripes,  bits  of 
scarlet  cloth  were  sewed  together  to  supply  the  red,  and  a  blue 
cloth  cloak  served  as  a  ground  for  the  stars.  Beneath  this  patch 
work  streamer  they  now  proudly  placed  the  colors  they  had  won. 
"  It  was  the  first  time,"  says  Bancroft,  "  that  a  captured  banner 
floated  under  the  stars  and  stripes." 

It  is  interesting,  in  this  connection,  to  notice  the  origin  of  our 
flag.  In  early  times  the  English  colonies  naturally  displayed  the 
flag  of  the  mother-country.  We  read  that  in  1636,  however, 
Endicott,  the  governor  of  Massachusetts,  cut  out  the  cross  of  St. 
George  as  a  "  Romish  symbol,"  and  the  king's  arms  were  after- 


208  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [Juni?~77"g<" 

ward  substituted  for  this  emblem,  so  obnoxious  to  the  Puritans. 
In  1651,  with  the  commonwealth  came  a  revival  of  the  old  standard 
of  St.  George.  At  the  opening  of  the  Revolution  the  colonies 
used  a  great  variety  of  flags.  At  Bunker  Hill  it  is  probable  there 
was  no  American  banner  flying.  Considering  themselves  still  a 
part  of  the  British  empire,  the  patriots  frequently  fought  under 
the  "  Union  Jack."  While  Washington  was  in  command  at 
Cambridge  he  raised  a  flag,  called  the  "  Great  Union,"  which 
consisted  of  thirteen  red  and  white  stripes,  having  at  the  corner 
the  cross  of  the  English  flag.  The  Americans  carried  this  banner 
when  they  entered  Boston  after  its  evacuation  by  General  Howe ; 
when  they  fled  through  New  Jersey  before  the  conquering 
enemy ;  and  when  they  crossed  the  Delaware  'mid  snow  and  ice, 
and  charged  at  Trenton  in  the  early  dawn.  The  vessels  of  the 
infant  navy  bore  a  white  flag  with  a  green  pine-tree  in  the  corner. 
The  United  States  were  free  a  long  time  before  they  assumed  a. 
distinctive  flag.  June  i/th  of  this  year  Congress  voted  that  "the 
flag  of  the  thirteen  United  States  be  thirteen  stripes,  alternate 
red  and  white,  and  the  union  be  thirteen  white  stars  in  the  blue 
field."  The  latter  were  arranged  in  a  circle.  Paul  Jones,  who 
afterward  became  famous,  was  the  first  to  hoist  the  new  flag  over 
an  American  ship-of-war,  he  having  previously  displayed  it  to  a 
crowd  assembled  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  while  he  sailed 
up  and  down  in  a  small  boat,  with  the  patriotic  banner  proudly 
unfurled. 

Finding  that  Fort  Schuyler  could  not  hold  out  much  longer, 
Colonel  Willett  and  a  friend,  Lieutenant  Stockwell,  determined  to 
inform  Schuyler  of  the  situation.  One  dark,  stormy  night  they 
crept  from  the  entrenchments,  passed  through  the  camp,  escaped 
sentinels  and  Indians,  crossed  the  Mohawk  on  a  log,  and  reached 
the  American  army  in  safety. 

Arnold,  always  ready  for  a  desperate  service,  volunteered, 
with  eight  hundred  men,  to  go  to  the  relief.  He  accomplished 
his  mission  by  a  stratagem.  A  half-witted  boy,  who  had  been 
taken  prisoner,  was  promised  his  freedom  if  he  would  spread  the 
report  among  St.  Leger's  troops  that  a  large  body  of  Americans 
was  close  at  hand.  Having  cut  holes  in  his  clothes,  he  accord 
ingly  ran  breathless  into  the  camp  of  the  besiegers,  showing  the 
bullet  holes  and  describing  his  narrow  escape  from  the  enemy. 
When  asked  their  number,  he  mysteriously  pointed  upward  to 
the  leaves  on  the  trees.  The  Indians  and  British  were  so  fright- 


Aug.  13,  -I 
1777.     J 


RELIEF    OF    FORT    SCHUYLER. 


209 


ened  that,  though  Arnold  was  yet  forty  miles  away,  they  fled  in  a 
panic,  leaving  their  tents  and  artillery  behind  them. 

Such  was  the  difficulty  of  getting  supplies  through  the  wilder 
ness  from  Lake  George,  that  after  two  weeks  hard  labor  Burgoyne 
had  only  secured  four  days  provisions.  Learning  that  the 


THE  ALARM  AT  FORT  SCHUYLEK. 


icans  had  collected  a  quantity  of  stores  at  Bennington,  he  sent 
Colonel  Baum  with  about  eight  hundred  Hessians,  Canadians,  and 
Indians  to  seize  them,  collect  horses,  recruit  royalists,  and  thence 
rejoin  the  army  at  Albany.  Fortunately,  on  the  very  day,  August 
1 3th,  that  Baum  set  out,  General  Stark,  who  was  in  command  of 
a  brigade  of  New  Hampshire  militia,  arrived  at  Bennington.  He 
had  just  refused  to  join  General  Schuyler,  on  the  ground  that  his 
troops  were  raised  for  the  defence  of  the  State,  and  he  had  been 
promised  a  separate  command.  This  act  of  insubordination,  which 
might  have  been  fatal,  now  proved  the  salvation  of  the  country. 
On  receiving  news  of  the  approach  of  the  British,  Stark  immedi 
ately  forwarded  word  to  Colonel  Warner  to  come  to  his  aid  with 
the  Green  Mountain  Boys.  Nearing  Bennington,  Baum  discov 
ered  a  reconnoitering  party  of  Americans,  and  entrenching  him 
self  on  high  ground  in  a  bend  of  the  Walloomscoick  River,  sent 
back  to  Burgoyne  for  reinforcements.  The  next  day  was  so  rainy, 
that  all  movements  were  prevented. 


2IO  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [A|777I6> 

During  the  night  of  the  I5th  a  body  of  Berkshire  militia  ar 
rived.  Rev.  Mr.  Allen,  of  Pittsfield,  and  a  large  number  of  his 
church  members  were  among  them.  This  gentleman  was  burn 
ing  to  display  his  patriotic  zeal,  and  before  daybreak,  while  the 
clouds  were  still  pouring,  he  impatiently  sought  Stark.  "  Now, 
general,"  he  said,  "  the  Berkshire  people  have  been  called  out 
several  times  before,  without  having  a  chance  to  fight,  and  if  you 
do  not  give  it  to  them  this  time,  they  will  never  turn  out  again." 
"  Well,"  answered  the  general,  with  a  secret  satisfaction  at  the 
pluck  of  his  troops,  "  do  you  wish  to  march  now,  while  it  is  dark 
and  raining  ?"  "  No,  not  just  this  moment,"  was  the  reply.  "  Then 
just  wait  till  the  Lord  gives  us  sunshine,"  returned  Stark,  "  and  if 
I  do  not  give  you  fighting  enough,  I'll  never  ask  you  to  come  out 
again." 

The  morning  dawned  clear,  and  both  sides  prepared  for  action. 
About  noon,  Stark  developed  his  plan.  Detachments  were  sent  right 
and  left  to  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  main  post  on  the  heights.  Baum, 
seeing  men  in  their  shirt-sleeves  and  with  simple  fowling-pieces 
collecting  behind  his  camp,  mistook  them  for  country  people,  and 
thought  nothing  of  it.  Another  detachment  was  then  sent  to  Baum's 
right,  while  his  attention  was  attracted  by  a  feigned  attack  upon  a 
tory  entrenchment  at  the  ford  in  front.  At  three  o'clock  the  troops 
in  the  rear  dashed  up  the  hill.  At  the  first  volley  Stark  ordered  a 
charge.  As  they  reached  the  top  they  caught  sight  of  the  British 
lines  forming  for  battle.  "  There  are  the  red-coats,"  he  shouted  ; 
"  we  beat  them  to-day,  or  Molly  Stark  is  a  widow."  On  his  men 
dashed,  sweeping  the  tories  before  them.  There  was  no  flinching. 
With  perfect  confidence  in  their  leader,  though  destitute  of  can 
non,  bayonets,  and  discipline,  they  closed  in  upon  the  Hessians  on 
all  sides.  The  sharp-shooters  crept  up  within  eight  paces  to  pick 
off  the  cannoneers.  The  Germans  fought  with  desperate  valor, 
but  their  ammunition  giving  out,  the  militia  scaled  the  works. 
Baum  ordered  his  men  to  break  out  with  bayonet  and  sword,  but 
he  was  soon  mortally  wounded,  and  his  men  surrendered.  The 
Indians  had  fled  with  horrible  yells  early  in  the  day. 

Just  as  the  battle  was  won,  however,  it  seemed  to  be  lost.  The 
militia  had  dispersed  to  plunder  the  camp  when  Breyman  came 
up  with  the  reinforcements  from  Burgoyne.  An  hour  earlier  and 
they  might  have  claimed  the  day.  They  now  rallied  the  fugitives 
and  pushed  for  Baum's  entrenchments.  At  this  moment  Warner 
arrived  with  his  regiment.  Stark  collected  the  militia,  and  again 


^fyy1.6']  BATTLE    OF    BENNINGTON.  211 

the  battle  raged  fiercely  as  ever.  At  sunset  the  Hessians  ordered 
a  retreat,  leaving  cannon  and  wounded.  The  exulting  Americans 
followed  them  till  night-fall.  Darkness  alone  saved  them  from 
annihilation.  The  patriots  lost  only  seventy  all  told,  while  the 
British  loss  was  twice  as  great,  besides  about  seven  hundred 
prisoners. 

An  incident  illustrates  the  spirit  of  the  men  that  day.  One  old 
man  had  five  sons  in  the  patriot  army.  A  neighbor,  just  from  the 
field,  told  him  that  one  had  been  unfortunate.  "  Has  he  proved 
a  coward  or  a  traitor ?"  asked  the  father.  "O  no;  he  fought 
bravely,"  was  the  answer;  "  but  he  has  fallen."  "Ah,"  said  the 
father,  "  then  I  am  satisfied." 

The  flight  of  St.  Leger  and  the  defeat  at  Bennington  aroused 
the  people  from  their  depression,  and  inspired  them  Avith  hope  of 
success.  The  atrocities  committed  by  the  Indians  also  did  much 
to  inflame  them  with  hatred  of  a  government  which  let  loose  upon 
them  such  savage  foes.  None  of  their  bloody  acts  caused  more 
general  execration  than  the  murder  of  Jane  McCrea.  This  young 
lady  was  the  betrothed  of  a  Captain  Jones  of  the  British  army. 
She  lived  near  Fort  Edward  in  the  family  of  her  brother,  who, 
being  a  whig,  started  for  Albany  on  Burgoyne's.  approach.  But 
she,  hoping  to  meet  her  lover,  lingered  at  the  house  of  Mrs. 
McNeil,  a  staunch  royalist,  and  a  cousin  of  the  British  General 
Fraser.  Early  one  morning  the  house  was  surprised  by  Indians, 
who  dragged  forth  the  inmates  and  hurried  them  away  toward 
Burgoyne's  camp.  Mrs.  McNeil  arrived  there  in  safety.  A  short 
time  after,  another  party  came  in  with  fresh  scalps,  among  which 
she  recognized  the  long,  glossy  hair  of  her  friend.  The  savages, 
on  being  charged  with  her  murder,  declared  that  she  had  been 
killed  by  a  chance  shot  from  a  pursuing  party,  whereupon  they 
had  scalped  her  to  secure  the  bounty.  The  precise  truth  has 
never  been  known.  This  massacre  was  probably  no  more  hor 
rible  than  many  others.  But  it  was  susceptible  of  embellishment, 
and  everywhere  produced  a  deep  impression.  Many  patriots 
were  led  to  join  the  army,  and  many  royalists  to  desert  a  cause 
which  permitted  such  atrocities. 

The  New  England  troops  were  unwilling  to  serve  under 
Schuyler,  who  seemed  to  have  little  confidence  in  them,  and  the 
militia  consequently  came  in  but  slowly.  Gates,  who  was  am 
bitious  of  a  separate  command,  and  who  had  been  superseded 
by  Schuyler  in  the  charge  of  this  department,  was  constantly 


212 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


intriguing  to  oust  his  rival.  Congress  lacked  faith  in  Schuyler's 
abilities,  and,  after  the  fall  of  Ticonderoga,  even  proposed  to 
change  all  the  higher  officers  of  the  northern  army.  Washington 
was  desired  to  nominate  a  successor  to  Schuyler,  but  declined. 
With  noble  self-sacrifice,  though  he  was  himself  confronted  by  a 
far  larger  army  than  was  Schuyler,  he  sent  him  two  brigades  of 
his  best  troops,  and  ordered  thither  Morgan  with  his  incompara 
ble  riflemen  ;  Lincoln,  who  was  popular  with  the  eastern  militia ; 
and  Arnold,  famous  for  his  desperate  daring.  He  also  wrote 
personally  to  the  governors  of  the  New  England  States,  urging 
them  to  rally  in  this  emergency.  Soon  the  yeomanry  began  to 
pour  into  camp,  all  eager,  even  anxious,  for  a  battle.  Such  was 
the  dissatisfaction  with  Schuyler,  that 
Gates  was  now  appointed  to  take  his 
place.  However  much  the  former  may 
have  lacked  the  abilities  of  a  great  gen 
eral,  he  proved 


MRS.   SCHUYLER  SETTING  THE  GRAIN-FIELDS  ON   FIRE. 


a  true  patriot.  No  spirit  of  jealousy  at  the  success  of  his  rival 
actuated  him.  He  magnanimously  threw  all  his  influence  in  favor 
of  Gates,  made  known  to  him  his  plans  and  efficiently  aided  in 
their  execution.  His  great  heart  had  no  more  room  for  envy  than 
for  selfishness.  During  the  retreat  he  had  given  orders  to  Mrs. 
Schuyler  to  set  fire  to  his  fields  of  grain  at  Saratoga,  to  prevent 
the  possibility  of  their  falling  into  the  enemy's  hands. 

Burgoyne's  position  was  every  day  becoming  more  embarrass 
ing.     The  Canadians  and  tories  were  discouraged.     The  Indians. 


S<J?77.9']  FIRST    BATTLE    OF    SARATOGA.  213 

indignant  at  the  humane  efforts  Burgoyne  had  made  to  restrain 
their  ferocity,  were  rapidly  deserting.  His  misfortunes  weighed 
like  an  incubus  on  the  morale  of  the  whole  army.  His  instruc 
tions,  however,  were  positive.  He  expected  Clinton  had  already 
ascended  the  Hudson  to  co-operate  with  him,  and  so,  against  the 
judgment  of  his  best  officers,  determined  to  proceed.  Provisions 
for  about  thirty  days  had  been  painfully  gathered,  and  with  his 
army  of  six  thousand  men,  all  veterans,  splendidly  equipped,  and 
with  a  fine  artillery,  he  promised  yet  to  "  eat  his  Christmas  dinner 
in  Albany." 

Meanwhile,  the  American  army,  at  least  ten  thousand  strong, 
well  armed,  burning  with  patriotism  and  eager  for  the  fray,  had 
advanced  to  Bemis's  Heights,  near  Stillwater.  Gates  was  unskil 
ful,  and  perhaps  cowardly,  while  Schuyler's  friends  were  indig 
nant  at  his  displacement ;  but  Arnold,  Morgan,  Poor,  Learned, 
Fellows,  Dearborn,  Cilley,  Cook,  Scammel,  Glover,  and  others 
were  there,  and  no  one  in  the  patriot  ranks  had  a  doubt.  Bur 
goyne  crossed  the  Hudson  on  the  I3th  and  I4th,  and  encamped 
at  Saratoga;  but,  delayed  by  bad  roads  and  broken  bridges,  in 
four  days  he  did  not  progress  as  many  miles.  It  was  not  until  the 
1 8th  that  he  reached  Wilbur's  Basin,  two  miles  from  Bemis's 
Heights,  and  proposed  to  attack  the  Americans.  Their  position 
was  a  very  strong  one,  and,  under  Kosciusko's  direction,  had 
been  carefully  fortified.  The  line  of  entrenchments  was  circular 
in  form,  with  the  right  resting  on  the  river  and  the  left  on  a  ridge 
of  hills.  About  ten  o'clock  the  next  forenoon  the  British  army 
advanced  in  three  columns.  The  left  wing,  with  the  artillery 
under  Phillips  and  Riedesel,  was  to  move  along  the  flat  by  the 
river ;  Burgoyne  himself  commanded  the  centre ;  and  Fraser  led 
the  right  by  a  circuit  upon  the  ridge  to  attack  the  American  left 
wing.  Upon  the  front  and  flanks  of  the  columns  hung  tories, 
Canadians,  and  Indians.  Gates  desired  to  await  an  attack.  At 
the  urgent  solicitation  of  Arnold,  however,  he  finally  sent  out 
Morgan  with  his  riflemen  and  Major  Dearborn  with  the  infantry. 
The  former  passed  unobserved  through  the  wood,  but  driving 
back  a  party  of  Canadians  and  Indians  too  vigorously,  he  unex 
pectedly  came  upon  the  main  body  of  the  English.  His  men 
were  scattered,  and  for  a  moment  he  was  left  almost  alone.  A 
shrill  whistle  soon  brought  his  sharp-shooters  around  him.  Cilley 
and  Scammel  coming  to  his  aid  with  the  New  Hampshire  regi 
ments,  a  sharp  contest  ensued.  The  battle  now  lulled,  Phillips 


214  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [S!?77,9" 

bringing  up  artillery  on  one  side  and  Cook  the  Connecticut 
militia  on  the  other. 

At  three  o'clock  the  struggle  began  again,  not  far  from  the 
same  point.  Gates  had  no  plan ;  there  was  consequently  no 
manoeuvring.  Both  sides  were  on  gentle  eminences,  partly  shel 
tered  by  wood,  and  out  of  gun-shot  of  each  other ;  between  them 
was  an  open  field.  The  British  advanced  to  clear  the  wood  of  the 
Americans;  they  sallied  forth  and  drove  the  English  from  their 
guns,  who,  in  turn,  rallied.  Thus  the  tide  of  battle  ebbed  to  and 
fro.  The  cannon  were  taken  and  retaken  several  times.  Too  late 
to  accomplish  anything,  Learned  with  a  brigade  went  around  to 
attack  the  British  in  the  rear;  but  Riedesel  with  some  Hessians 
climbed  the  hill  and  fell  upon  the  American  flank.  Darkness  now 
coming  on,  the  patriots  quietly  drew  back  to  their  entrenchments. 
Twice  during  the  evening,  however,  there  were  sharp  skirmishes, 
and  the  last  American  did  not  leave  the  field  until  eleven  o'clock. 
The  English  lay  on  their  arms  near  by,  and  technically  claimed 
the  victory,  though  they  had  not  gained  their  end,  which  was  to 
dislodge  the  Americans  from  their  position ;  while  the  latter  had 
gained  theirs  by  preventing  the  British  from  advancing.  Each 
side,  however,  took  to  itself  the  honor,  and  supposed  that  with  a 
part  of  its  forces  it  had  beaten  the  whole  of  the  hostile  band.  In 
fact,  only  about  three  thousand  of  either  army  were  engaged.  The 
American  loss  was  not  far  from  four  hundred,  and  the  English  five 
hundred.  The  fire  of  the  American  riflemen  was  excessively 
annoying.  They  climbed  the  trees  and  picked  off  the  English 
officers.  A  bullet  designed  for  Burgoyne  struck  the  arm  of  an 
aid  who  was  just  handing  him  a  letter.  In  one  battery  three- 
fourths  of  the  artillerymen  were  killed  or  wounded,  and  every 
officer  save  one  was  struck. 

The  next  morning  Arnold  urged  that  the  work  should  be 
followed  up,  and  Burgoyne's  shattered  forces  be  attacked  at  once 
before  they  had  time  to  prepare  entrenchments  or  to  recover 
from  their  exhaustion.  Gates  resented  the  interference.  A 
quarrel  ensued,  and  Arnold  demanded  a  pass  to  go  to  General 
Washington,  which  was  granted.  Seeing  how  discreditable  it 
would  be  to  leave  just  before  a  battle,  Arnold  finally  remained  in 
his  tent,  but  without  any  troops,  as  the  command  of  the  right 
wing  was  given  to  Lincoln. 

For  over  two  weeks  both  armies  lay  in  their  camps,  which 
were  only  a  cannon-shot  apart,  carefully  fortifying  themselves  and 


o^'y7']  SECOND  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA.  21 5 

watching  an  opportunity  to  catch  each  other  at  a  disadvantage. 
Burgoyne's  position  was  now  perilous  in  the  extreme.  He  had 
six  or  eight  hundred  sick  and  wounded  in  hospital ;  his  horses 
were  weakened  by  work  and  want ;  and  he  was  forced  to  cut  off 
one-third  of  the  daily  rations  of  his  men.  Patriot  bands  swarmed 
everywhere,  breaking  down  bridges  and  harassing  the  pickets 
and  foraging  parties.  Neither  officer  nor  soldier  dared  to  remove 
his  clothes  at  any  time,  and  the  camp  was  in  almost  constant 
alarm.  One  night  twenty  young  farmers,  residing  near  by, 
resolved  to  capture  the  enemy's  advance  picket-guard.  Armed 
with  fowling-pieces,  they  marched  silently  through  the  woods 
until  they  were  within  a  few  yards  of  the  station.  They  then 
rushed  out  from  the  bushes,  the  captain  blowing  an  old  horse- 
trumpet  and  the  men  yelling.  There  was  no  time  for  the  senti 
nel's  hail.  "  Ground  your  arms,  or  you  are  all  dead  men  !  " 
cried  the  patriot  captain.  Thinking  that  a  large  force  had  fallen 
upon  them,  the  picket  obeyed.  The  young  farmers,  with  all  the 
parade  of  regulars,  led  back  to  the  American  camp  over  thirty 
British  soldiers. 

Burgoyne  was  in  constant  hope  of  being  relieved  by  the 
promised  expedition  of  Clinton  up  the  Hudson  River,  as  in  that 
event  Gates  would  necessarily  send  a  part  of  his  army  to  the 
defence  of  Albany.  On  the  2ist  Burgoyne  received  a  letter  in 
cipher  from  Clinton,  stating  that  he  was  about  to  start.  Greatly 
encouraged  thereby,  he  replied  that  he  could  hold  on  till  Novem 
ber  1 2th.  Every  day,  however,  the  net  of  his  difficulties  was  drawn 
about  him  more  and  more  tightly.  The  time  came  when  he  must 
either  fight  or  fly.  On  the  ;th  of  October  he  attempted  a  recon- 
noissance  in  force,  in  order  to  cover  a  large  foraging  party,  and 
also,  if  opportunity  offered,  to  turn  the  left  of  the  American  line. 
For  this  service  fifteen  hundred  picked  men  were  selected.  Bur 
goyne  led  them  in  person,  and  under  him  were  Fraser,  Riedesel, 
and  Phillips.  Marching  out  of  camp,  they  formed  in  double  ranks 
on  a  low  ridge,  less  than  a  mile  northwest  of  the  American  camp, 
and  awaited  events.  Meanwhile  the  foragers  were  busy  getting 
supplies,  and  the  officers  were  scanning  the  patriot  lines. 

Morgan  with  his  riflemen,  Poor's  New  Hampshire  brigade, 
and  Dearborn's  light  infantry  were  thereupon  ordered  to  attack 
simultaneously  the  enemy's  right  and  left  flanks.  Steadily  the 
New  Hampshire  men  mounted  up  the  slope,  received  one  volley, 
and  then  with  a  shout  dashed  forward  to  the  very  mouth  of  the 


2l6  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [^y7.1 

cannon.  So  fierce  was  the  contest  that  one  piece  was  taken  and 
retaken  several  times.  Colonel  Cilley  leaped  upon  it,  waved  his 
sword,  "  dedicating  the  gun  to  the  American  cause,"  and  then, 
with  their  own  ammunition,  opened  it  upon  the  enemy.  It  was 
the  very  inspiration  of  courage.  Major  Ackland  was  severely 
wounded.  The  British  lines  broke.  Meanwhile,  Morgan  had 
driven  back  Fraser,  who  was  covering  the  English  right,  and 
fallen  on  that  flank  so  impetuously  that  it  was  already  in  retreat. 
Arnold,  who  was  chafing  in  camp  and  anxious  "  to  right  himself," 
as  he  said,  "  with  the  sword,"  sprang  to  his  saddle  and  rushed 
into  the  fray.  "  He  will  do  some  rash  thing,"  shouted  Gates,  and 
ordered  his  aid,  Major  Armstrong,  to  call  him  back ;  but  Arnold, 
suspecting  the  message,  put  spurs  to  his  beautiful  brown  horse, 
named  Warren  after  the  hero  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  was  soon  out 
of  reach.  He  had  no  right  to  fight,  much  less  to  lead,  but  his 
rank  and  valor  gave  him  authority  at  once.  Dashing  to  the  head 
of  a  part  of  Learned's  brigade,  where  he  was  received  with 
cheers  by  his  old  command,  he  ordered  a  charge  on  the  centre  of 
the  British  line.  Leading  the  onset,  delivering  his  orders  in 
person  where  the  bullets  flew  thickest,  he  galloped  to  and  fro 
over  the  field  as  if  possessed  by  the  very  demon  of  battle.  In 
his  rage  he  struck  an  American  officer  on  the  head  with  his  sword 
without  being  conscious  of  the  fact,  as  he  afterward  declared. 
His  headlong  valor  inspired  the  troops  with  desperate  courage. 
At  the  second  charge  the  English  gave  way. 

Fraser  was  busy  forming  another  line  in  the  rear.  Brave  to  a 
fault  and  chivalric  in  his  sense  of  duty,  this  gallant  officer  was  the 
mind  and  soul  of  the  British  army.  Morgan  saw  that  he  alone 
stood  between  the  Americans  and  victory.  Calling  to  him  some 
of  his  best  men,  he  said,  "  That  gallant  officer  is  General  Fraser. 
I  admire  and  honor  him  ;  but  he  must  die.  Stand  among  those 
bushes  and  do  your  duty."  Mounted  on  an  iron-gray  charger 
and  dressed  in  full  uniform,  Fraser  was  a  conspicuous  mark.  A 
bullet  cut  the  crupper  of  his  horse  and  another  his  mane.  "  You 
are  singled  out,  general,"  said  his  aide-de-camp ;  "  had  you  not 
better  shift  your  ground?"  "  My  duty  forbids  me  to  fly  from 
danger,"  was  the  reply.  A  moment  after  he  fell  mortally 
wounded. 

Just  then  the  New  York  men  under  Ten  Broeck,  coming  on 
the  field,  swept  all  before  them.  Burgoyne  sought  to  stay  the 
tide;  a  bullet  went  through  his  hat  and  another  tore  his  vest. 


Oct.  7,1 
1777.  J 


SECOND  BATTLE  OF  SARATOGA. 


The  Americans  urged  the  pursuit  up  to  the  very  entrenchments. 
Arnold,  maddened  by  the  fight,  stormed  the  camp  of  the  light 
infantry  under  Earl  Balcarras,  the  strongest  part  of  the  English 
line.  For  an  hour  the  useless  struggle  continued.  Repulsed,  he 
rode  to  the  American  left,  all  the  way  exposed  to  the  cross-fire  of 
both  armies,  and  ordered  a  general  assault  on  the  British  right. 


GENERAL   ERASER   COVERED   BY  SHARP-SHOOTERS. 


A  stockade  was  carried,  and  Breyman  with  his  Germans  was  cut 
off  from  the  main  body  of  the  British  army.  As  Arnold  dashed 
into  a  sally-port,  the  Hessians  fired  a  parting  volley,  wounding 
him  in  the  same  leg  as  at  Quebec.  At  that  moment  Armstrong 
came  up  with  Gates's  order.  He  was  borne  from  the  field,  but 
he  had  already  gained  a  victory  while  his  commander  stayed  in 
his  tent.  Breyman  being  mortally  wounded,  his  men  lost  heart 
and  over  two  hundred  surrendered.  This  position  was  the  key 
to  the  British  line.  Burgoyne  tried  to  rally  his  men  to  retake  it ; 
but  darkness  closed  the  hard-fought  contest.  The  Americans  lay 
on  their  arms  ready  to  renew  the  struggle  in  the  morning. 

During  the  night,  Burgoyne  evacuated  a  part  of  his  entrench 
ments,  and  gathered  his  army  upon  the  heights  around  the  hos 
pital,  with  the  river  in  the  rear  and  a  deep  ravine  in  front.  His 
new  position  was  so  strong  that  Gates  did  not  deem  it  best  to 
hazard  an  attack.  Eraser,  in  his  dying  moments,  requested  that  he 
might  be  buried  at  six  in  the  evening  on  the  top  of  a  little  knoll  in 


2l8  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [°|C777°' 

the  great  redoubt.  Just  at  sunset  his  body  was  borne  thither  ac 
companied  by  Burgoyne,  Phillips,  and  Riedesel.  The  American 
cannoneers  were  attracted  by  the  presence  of  the  officers,  and, 
ignorant  of  the  sad  ceremony  which  was  being  enacted,  their  balls 
fell  thick  about  the  chaplain  as  he  read  the  solemn  burial  service. 
So  Fraser  was  entombed,  as  he  had  died,  amid  the  roar  of  artillery. 

Burgoyne  now  renewed  the  retreat.  The  rain  fell  in  torrents,, 
and  the  roads  were  so  badly  cut  up  that  he  did  not  reach  Sara 
toga,  a  distance  of  six  miles,  until  the  next  night.  The  men,  too 
much  exhausted  to  procure  wood  or  build  fires,  lay  down  on  the 
ground  and  slept  in  the  fast-falling  rain.  On  the  loth  they  crossed 
the  Fishkill  and  made  their  last  encampment.  The  fine  house  and 
mills  of  General  Schuyler  at  the  ford  were  burned  by  order  of 
General  Burgoyne.  The  British  were  now  hemmed  in  on  all 
sides.  The  end  was  near. 

Just  at  this  time  occurred  a  circumstance  which  illustrates  the 
small  events  on  which  depend  the  fortunes  of  war.  Gates  received 
word  that  Burgoyne  had  sent  on  the  bulk  of  his  army  toward  the 
north.  He  determined  at  once  to  cut  off  the  rear-guard  still  left 
in  camp.  The  British  general  in  some  manner  became  advised  of 
the  plan,  and  put  his  best  troops  in  ambush,  where  he  could  fire 
upon  the  Americans  at  the  very  moment  of  victory.  All  appar 
ently  went  well.  A  patriot  brigade  had  crossed  the  creek  and 
another  was  just  entering,  a  dense  fog  concealing  the  movement. 
Just  then  a  British  deserter  came  in  and  revealed  the  plot.  Mes 
sengers  were  hurried  out  and  the  troops  ordered  back,  but  not 
without  some  loss.  A  few  minutes  more,  and  the  success  of  the 
whole  campaign  would  have  been  imperiled. 

A  reconnoitering  party  sent  on  to  Fort  Edward  reported  that 
the  crossing  was  held  by  General  Stark.  The  opposite  bank  of 
the  Hudson  was  lined  with  the  Americans.  Bateaux  containing 
part  of  their  scanty  stock  of  provisions  had  been  seized,  the  rest 
being  saved  only  by  bringing  them  up  the  steep  bank  under  a 
heavy  cannonade.  No  word  was  received  from  General  Clinton. 
Every  part  of  the  camp  was  searched  out  by  the  American  fire. 
Water  was  scarce,  and  no  one  dared  to  get  it,  until  a  woman 
volunteered,  when  the  sharpshooters,  respecting  her  sex,  let  her 
pass  unharmed.  While  a  council  of  war  held  in  Burgoyne's  tent 
was  considering  the  necessity  of  a  surrender,  several  grape-shot 
struck  near,  and  an  eighteen-pound  cannon-ball  passed  over  the 
table  around  which  the  officers  sat.  Under  these  circumstances 


Oct.  17,-] 
1777.    J 


SURRENDER    OF    BURGOYNE. 


2I9 


'MAPOFTHECOUNT 

BETWEEN 

MONTREAL 

AND 


rt*1 


nCliambly 


a  decision  was  quickly  made.  They  resolved  to  treat  for  capitu 
lation.  At  first  Gates  demanded  an  unconditional  surrender ;  but 
knowing  that  Clinton  had  captured  the  forts  in  the  Highlands 
commanding  the  passage  of  the  Hudson,  he  consented  that  the 
British  should  be  taken  to  Boston  and  be 
allowed  to  return  to  England,  on  condi 
tion  of  not  serving  in  the  war  again  until 
exchanged.  When  Burgoyne  heard  from 
a  deserter  of  Clinton's  progress,  he  hesi 
tated  to  sign  the  conditions;  but  Gates 
drew  up  his  army  and  threatened  to  open 
fire.  Whereupon  Burgoyne  yielded. 

A  detachment  of  Americans  marched 
into  the  British  camp  to  the  lively  air  of 
Yankee  Doodle,  while  the  English  army 
gravely  filed  out  and  laid  down  their 
arms.  With  a  delicate  consideration,  the 
Continental  forces  were  withdrawn  from 
sight,  and  the  only  American  officer  pres 
ent  was  Major  Wilkinson,  who  had  charge 
of  the  arrangements.  The  total  number 
surrendered  was  five  thousand  seven  hun 
dred  and  ninety-one,  besides  one  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty -six  prisoners  of 
war,  including  sick  and  wounded.  Forty- 
two  brass  cannon  and  forty -six  hundred 
muskets,  with  abundant  munitions  of  war, 
were  among  the  trophies.  After  this  cere 
mony  was  over,  Generals  Burgoyne  and 
Gates  advanced  to  meet  each  other  at  the 
head  of  their  staffs.  The  former  was 
dressed  in  a  magnificent  uniform  of  scarlet 
and  gold,  and  the  latter  in  a  plain  blue 
frock-coat.  It  was  a  marked  contrast  be 
tween  vanquished  and  victor.  When  they 
had  approached  nearly  within  a  sword's 
length,  they  halted,  and  Burgoyne,  with  a  graceful  obeisance,  said, 
"  The  fortune  of  war,  General  Gates,  has  made  me  your  prisoner." 
General  Gates,  returning  the  salute,  replied,  "  I  shall  always  be 
ready  to  testify  that  it  has  not  been  through  any  fault  of  your 
excellency." 


sborough> 


;g  CBOWM-POII 


220  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [°^; 

As  they  met  after  these  formalities,  Gates  used  the  common  ex 
pression,  "  /  am  very -happy  to  see  you"  "  I  believe  you  are,"  replied 
Burgoyne.  Gates,  pretending  not  to  hear  the  retort,  invited  him 
to  his  marquee,  where  they  partook  of  a  sumptuous  dinner.  In  the 
afternoon,  the  English  troops  were  marched  between  the  double 
lines  of  the  Americans,  and,  in  presence  of  both  armies,  Burgoyne 
handed  his  sword  to  Gates,  who  promptly  returned  it.  The 
tragedy  was  finished.  The  northern  invasion  had  proved  an  in 
glorious  failure.  The  prisoners  were  forwarded  to  Boston,  but 
the  British  government  failing  to  ratify  the  agreement,  and  fears 
arising  that  the  men,  if  given  up,  would  be  at  once  turned  into 
the  British  army,  Congress  ordered  them  to  be  sent  into  the 
interior  of  Virginia.  The  action  caused  much  excitement  and 
was  fruitful  of  mutual  recriminations  between  the  two  countries. 
Late  in  the  fall,  the  "  convention  troops,"  as  they  were  called, 
were  marched  seven  hundred  miles  across  the  country  to  Char 
lottes  ville,  Virginia.  Here  comfortable  barracks  were  built  the 
next  summer ;  an  extensive  territory  was  cleared,  and  gardens 
were  laid  out  and  beautifully  cultivated  by  them.  At  the  close 
of  the  war  many  of  the  prisoners  remained  among  their  fellow- 
Germans  and  became  useful  citizens. 

The  picture  of  this  celebrated  invasion  would  be  incomplete 
without  referring  to  the  pathetic  account  left  by  Madame  Riede- 
sel,  who  followed  her  husband  throughout  the  disastrous  cam 
paign.  This  lady  had  a  large  calash  made  for  her  use,  capable  of 
holding  herself,  three  children,  and  two  female  servants,  in  which 
they  accompanied  the  army  on  their  march.  After  they  encamped, 
a  small  square  building,  with  a  capacious  chimney,  was  erected 
for  her  comfort.  She  goes  on  to  relate  :  "  On  the  ;th  of  October 
our  misfortunes  began.  I  was  at  breakfast  with  my  husband,  and 
heard  that  something  was  intended.  On  the  same  day  I  expected 
Generals  Burgoyne,  Phillips,  and  Fraser  to  dine  with  us.  I  saw 
a  great  movement  among  the  troops  ;  my  husband  told  me  it  was 
merely  a  reconnoissance,  which  gave  me  no  concern,  as  it  often 
happened.  I  walked  out  of  the  house,  and  met  several  Indians 
in  their  war-dresses,  with  guns  in  their  hands.  When  I  asked 
them  where  they  were  going,  they  cried  out,  '  War  !  war  / '  mean 
ing  that  they  were  going  to  battle.  This  filled  me  with  appre 
hension,  and  I  had  scarcely  got  home  before  I  heard  reports  of 
cannon  and  musketry,  which  grew  louder  by  degrees,  till  at  last 
the  noise  became  excessive. 


P7C7V.]  MADAME   RIEDESEL'S  NARRATIVE.  221 

"About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  instead  of  the  guests 
whom  I  expected,  General  Fraser  was  brought  on  a  litter,  mor 
tally  wounded.  The  table,  which  was  already  set,  was  instantly 
removed,  and  a  bed  placed  in  its  stead  for  the  wounded  general. 
I  sat  trembling  in  a  corner ;  the  noise  grew  louder,  and  the  alarm 
increased  ;  the  thought  that  my  husband  might  perhaps  be  brought 
in,  wounded  in  the  same  manner,  Avas  terrible  to  me,  and  dis 
tressed  me  exceedingly.  General  Fraser  said  to  the  surgeon, 
'  Tell  me  if  my  wound  is  mortal ;  do  not  flatter  me.'  The  ball 
had  passed  through  his  body,  and,  unhappily  for  the  general,  he 
had  eaten  a  very  hearty  breakfast,  by  which  the  stomach  was  dis 
tended,  and  the  ball,  as  the  surgeon  said,  had  passed  through  it. 
I  heard  him  often  exclaim  with  a  sigh,  *  Oh  !  fatal  ambition !  Poor 
General  Burgoyne  !  Oh  !  my  poor  wife  ! '  He  was  asked  if  he 
had  any  request  to  make,  to  which  he  replied  that,  '  If  General 
Burgoyne  would  permit  it,  he  should  like  to  be  buried  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  on  the  top  of  a  mountain,  in  a  redoubt 
which  had  been  built  there.' 

"  I  did  not  know  which  way  to  turn  ;  all  the  other  rooms  were 
full  of  sick.  Toward  evening  I  saw  my  husband  coming  ;  then  I 
forgot  all  my  sorrows,  and  thanked  God  that  he  was  spared  to 
me.  He  ate  in  great  haste,  with  me  and  his  aide-de-camp,  behind 
the  house.  We  had  been  told  that  we  had  the  advantage  over  the 
enemy,  but  the  sorrowful  faces  I  beheld  told  a  different  tale  ;  and 
before  my  husband  went  away  he  took  me  aside,  and  said  every 
thing  was  going  very  badly,  and  that  I  must  keep  myself  in 
readiness  to  leave  the  place,  but  not  to  mention  it  to  any  one.  I 
made  the  pretence  that  I  would  move  the  next  morning  into  my 
new  house,  and  had  everything  packed  up  ready.  *  * 

"  I  could  not  go  to  sleep,  as  I  had  General  Fraser  and  all  the 
other  wounded  gentlemen  in  my  room,  and  I  was  sadly  afraid  my 
children  would  wake,  and  by  their  crying  disturb  the  dying  man 
in  his  last  moments,  who  often  addressed  me  and  apologized  '  for 
the  trouble  he  gave  me.'  About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  I 
was  told  that  he  could  not  hold  out  much  longer  ;  I  had  desired 
to  be  informed  of  the  near  approach  of  this  sad  crisis,  and  I  then 
wrapped  up  my  children  in  their  clothes,  and  went  with  them 
into  the  room  below.  About  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  he 
died. 

"  After  he  was  laid  out,  and  his  corpse  wrapped  up  in  a  sheet, 
we  came  again  into  the  room,  and  had  this  sorrowful  sight  before 


222  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [ 


Oct., 
1777 


us  the  whole  day ;  and,  to  add  to  the  melancholy  scene,  almost 
every  moment  some  officer  of  my  acquaintance  was  brought  in 
wounded.  The  cannonade  commenced  again ;  a  retreat  was 
spoken  of,  but  not  the  smallest  motion  was  made  toward  it. 
About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I  saw  the  house  which  had 
just  been  built  for  me  in  flames,  and  the  enemy  was  now  not  far 
off.  We  knew  that  General  Burgoyne  would  not  refuse  the  last 
request  of  General  Fraser,  though,  by  his  acceding  to  it,  an 
unnecessary  delay  was  occasioned,  by  which  the  inconvenience 
of  the  army  was  increased." 

As  soon  as  the  funeral  service  was  finished  and  the  grave  of 
General  Fraser  closed,  an  order  was  issued  that  the  army  should 
fall  back. 

"  The  retreat  was  ordered  to  be  conducted  with  the  greatest 
silence  ;  many  fires  were  lighted,  and  several  tents  left  standing ; 
we  traveled  continually  during  the  night.  At  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  we  halted,  which  excited  the  surprise  of  all ;  General 
Burgoyne  had  the  cannon  ranged  and  counted  ;  this  delay  seemed 
to  displease  everybody,  for  if  we  could  only  have  made  another 
good  march,  we  should  have  been  in  safety.  My  husband,  quite 
exhausted  with  fatigue,  came  into  my  calash,  and  slept  for  three 
hours.  During  that  time  Captain  Wiloe  brought  me  a  bag  full  of 
bank-notes  and  Captain  Grismar  his  elegant  watch,  a  ring,  and  a 
purse  full  of  money,  which  they  requested  me  to  take  care  of,  and 
which  I  promised  to  do  to  the  utmost  of  my  power.  We  again 
marched,  but  had  scarcely  proceeded  an  hour  before  we  halted, 
as  the  enemy  was  in  sight ;  it  proved  to  be  only  a  reconnoitering 
party  of  two  hundred  men,  who  might  easily  have  been  made 
prisoners  if  General  Burgoyne  had  given  proper  orders  on  the 
occasion. 

"  About  evening  we  arrived  at  Saratoga  ;  my  dress  was  wet 
through  and  through  with  rain,  and  in  this  state  I  had  to  remain 
the  whole  night,  having  no  place  to  change  it ;  I,  however,  got 
close  to  a  large  fire,  and  at  last  lay  down  on  some  straw.  At  this 
moment  General  Phillips  came  up  to  me,  and  I  asked  him  why 
he  had  not  continued  our  retreat,  as  my  husband  had  promised  to 
cover  it  and  bring  the  army  through.  '  Poor,  dear  woman/  said 
he,  '  I  wonder  how,  drenched  as  you  are,  you  have  the  courage 
still  to  persevere  and  venture  further  in  this  kind  of  weather  ;  I 
wish,'  continued  he,  *  you  were  our  commanding  general ;  Gene 
ral  Burgoyne  is  tired,  and  means  to  halt  here  to-night  and  give  us 
our  supper.' 


J5?y;]  MADAME    RIEDESEL'S    NARRATIVE.  223 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  loth,  at  ten  o'clock,  General  Burgoyne 
ordered  the  retreat  to  be  continued.  The  greatest  misery  at  this 
time  prevailed  in  the  army,  and  more  than  thirty  officers  came  to 
me,  for  whom  tea  and  coffee  were  prepared,  and  with  whom  I 
shared  all  my  provisions,  with  which  my  calash  was  in  general  well 
supplied  ;  for  I  had  a  cook  who  was  an  excellent  caterer,  and  who 
often  in  the  night  crossed  small  rivers  and  foraged  on  the  inhabi 
tants,  bringing  in  with  him  sheep,  small  pigs,  and  poultry,  for 
which  he  very  often  forgot  to  pay.. 

"  About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  again  heard  a  firing 
of  cannon  and  small  arms  ;  instantly  all  was  alarm,  and  everything 
in  motion.  My  husband  told  me  to  go  to  a  house  not  far  off.  I 
immediately  seated  myself  in  my  calash  with  my  children  and 
drove  off;  but  scarcely  had  I  reached  it  before  I  discovered  five 
or  six  armed  men  on  the  other  side  of  the  Hudson.  Instinctively 
I  threw  my  children  down  in  the  calash,  and  then  concealed  my 
self  with  them.  At  this  moment  the  fellows  fired,  and  wounded 
an  already  wounded  English  soldier  who  was  behind  me.  Poor 
fellow  !  I  pitied  him  exceedingly,  but  at  this  moment  had  no 
means  or  power  to  relieve  him. 

"  A  terrible  cannonade  was  commenced  by  the  enemy  against 
the  house  in  which  I  sought  to  obtain  shelter  for  myself  and 
children,  under  the  mistaken  idea  that  all  the  generals  were  in  it. 
Alas !  it  contained  none  but  wounded  and  women.  We  were  at 
last  obliged  to  resort  to  the  cellar  for  refuge,  and  in  one  corner  of 
this  I  remained  the  whole  day,  my  children  sleeping  on  the  earth 
with  their  heads  in  my  lap  ;  and  in  the  same  situation  I  passed  a 
sleepless  night.  Eleven  cannon-balls  passed  through  the  house, 
and  we  could  distinctly  hear  them  roll  away.  One  poor  soldier, 
who  was  lying  on  a  table  for  the  purpose  of  having  his  leg  ampu 
tated,  was  struck  by  a  shot,  which  carried  away  his  other ;  his 
comrades  had  left  him,  and  when  we  went  to  his  assistance,  we 
found  him  in  the  corner  of  a  room,  into  which  he  had  crept,  more 
dead  than  alive,  scarcely  breathing.  My  reflections  on  the  dan 
ger  to  which  my  husband  was  exposed  now  agonized  me  exceed 
ingly,  and  the  thoughts  of  my  children  and  the  necessity  of 
struggling  for  their  preservation  alone  sustained  me. 

"  I  now  occupied  myself  through  the  day  in  attending  the 
wounded  ;  I  made  them  tea  and  coffee,  and  often  shared  my  din 
ner  with  them,  for  which  they  offered  me  a  thousand  expressions 
of  gratitude.  One  day  a  Canadian  officer  came  to  our  cellar,  who 


224 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


Oct., 
1777. 


had  scarcely  the  power  of  holding  himself  upright,  and  we  con 
cluded  he  was  dying  for  want  of  nourishment ;  I  was  happy  in 
offering  him  my  dinner,  which  strengthened  him  and  procured 
me  his  friendship.  I  now  undertook  the  care  of  Major  Bloom- 
field,  another  aide-de-camp  of  General  Phillips  ;  he  had  received 
a  musket-ball  through  both  cheeks,  which  in  its  course  had 
knocked  out  several  of  his  teeth  and  cut  his  tongue  ;  he  could 
hold  nothing  in  his  mouth,  the  matter  which  ran  from  his  wound 

almost  choked  him,  and 
he  was  not  able  to  take 
any  nourishment  ex 
cept  a  little  soup,  or 
something  liquid.  We 
had  some  Rhenish 
wine,  and  in  the  hope 
that  the  acidity  of  it 
would  cleanse  his 
wound,  I  gave  him  a 
bottle  of  it.  He  took 
a  little  now  and  then, 
and  with  such  effect 
that  his  cure  soon  fol 
lowed  ;  thus  I  added 
another  to  my  stock  of 
friends,  and  derived  a 
satisfaction  which,  in 
the  midst  of  sufferings, 
served  to  tranquillize 
me  and  diminish  their 
acuteness. 

"  One  day  General 
Phillips     accompanied 

my  husband,  at  the  risk  of  their  lives,  on  a  visit  to  us.  The 
general,  after  having  witnessed  our  situation,  said  to  him,  '  I 
would  not  for  ten  thousand  guineas  come  again  to  this  place; 
my  heart  is  almost  broken.' 

"  In  this  horrid  situation  we  remained  six  days  ;  a  cessation  of 
hostilities  was  now  spoken  of,  and  eventually  took  place.  On  the 
i6th,  however,  my  husband  had  to  repair  to  his  post  and  I  to  my 
cellar.  This  day  fresh  beef  was  served  out  to  the  officers,  who 
till  now  had  only  had  salt  provisions,  which  was  very  bad  for 
their  wounds. 


GENERAL   BURGOYNE. 


Oct.  17, 1 
1777.    J 


MADAME  RIEDESEL'S  NARRATIVE. 


225, 


"  On  the  1 7th  of  October  the  convention  was  completed. 
General  Burgoyne  and  the  other  generals  waited  on  the  American 
General  Gates  ;  the  troops  laid  down  their  arms,  and  gave  them 
selves  up  prisoners  of  war ! 

"  My  husband  sent  a  message  to  me  to  come  over  to  him  with 
my  children.  I  seated  myself  once  more  in  my  dear  calash,  and 
then  rode  through  the  American  camp.  As  I  passed  on,  I  ob 
served—and  this  was  a  great  consolation  to  me— that  no  one  eyed 
me  with  looks  of  re 
sentment,  but  that  they 
all  greeted  us,  and  even 
showed  compassion  in 
their  countenances  at 
the  sight  of  a  woman 
with  small  children.  I 
was,  I  confess,  afraid  to 
go  over  to  the  enemy, 
as  it  was  quite  a  new 
situation  to  me.  When 
I  drew  near  the  tents, 
a  handsome  man  ap 
proached  and  met  me, 
took  my  children  from 
the  calash,  and  hugged 
and  kissed  them,  which 
affected  me  almost  to 
tears.  4  You  tremble/ 
said  he,  addressing 
himself  to  me  ;  '  be  not 
afraid.'  *  No/  I  an 
swered,  '  you  seem  so 
kind  and  tender  to  my 

children,  it  inspires  me  with  courage.'  He  now  led  me  to  the 
tent  of  General  Gates,  where  I  found  Generals  Burgoyne  and 
Phillips,  who  were  on  a  friendly  footing  with  the  former.  Bur 
goyne  said  to  me,  '  Never  mind  ;  your  sorrows  have  now  an  end/ 
1  answered  him,  *  that  I  should  be  reprehensible  to  have  any 
cares,  as  he  had  none  ;  and  I  was  pleased  to  see  him  on  such 
friendly  footing  with  General  Gates.'  All  the  generals  remained 
to  dine  with  General  Gates. 

"  The  same  gentleman  who  received  me  so  kindly  now  came 
15 


GENERAL  GATES. 


226  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [M|7^7.8> 

and  said  to  me,  '  You  will  be  very  much  embarrassed  to  eat  with 
all  these  gentlemen  ;  come  with  your  children  to  my  tent,  where 
I  will  prepare  for  you  a  frugal  dinner,  and  give  it  with  a  free 
will.'  I  said,  '  You  are  certainly  a  husband  and  a  father,  you 
have  shown  me  so  much  kindness.'  I  now  found  that  he  was 
General  Schuyler.  He  treated  me  with  excellent  smoked  tongue, 
beefsteaks,  potatoes,  and  good  bread  and  butter  !  Never  could  I 
have  wished  to  eat  a  better  dinner  ;  I  was  content ;  I  saw  all 
around  me  were  so  likewise  ;  and,  what  was  better  than  all,  my 
husband  was  out  of  danger. 

"After  dinner  General  Schuyler  begged  me  to  pay  him  a  visit 
at  his  house  in  Albany,  where  he  expected  also  to  receive  General 
Burgoyne.  Having  sent  to  my  husband  for  advice,  he  counselled 
me  to  accept  the  invitation." 

She  was  delighted  with  her  reception  at  General  Schuyler's 
hospitable  mansion,  and  records  that  Mrs.  Schuyler  and  her 
daughters  "  loaded  us  with  kindness,  and  behaved  in  the  same 
manner  toward  General  Burgoyne,  though  he  had  wantonly 
caused  their  splendid  country  establishment  to  be  burned." 
General  Schuyler's  gentlemanly  courtesy  was  characteristically 
shown  in  his  first  meeting  with  Burgoyne  after  the  surrender. 
The  latter,  remembering  his  unnecessary  destruction  of  the 
former's  property,  attempted  an  excuse.  "  That  was  the  fate  of 
war,"  replied  General  Schuyler ;  "  I  beg  you,  say  no  more  about 
it."  Burgoyne,  in  a  speech  before  the  House  of  Commons,  adds: 
41  He  did  more :  he  sent  an  aide-de-camp  to  conduct  me  to 
Albany,  in  order,  as  he  expressed  it,  to  procure  better  quarters 
than  a  stranger  might  be  able  to  find.  That  gentleman  conducted 
me  to  a  very  elegant  house,  and,  to  my  great  surprise,  presented 
me  to  Mrs.  Schuyler  and  family.  In  that  house  I  remained  dur 
ing  my  whole  stay  in  Albany,  with  a  table  of  more  than  twenty 
covers  for  me  and  my  friends,  and  every  other  demonstration  of 
hospitality." 

We  turn  now  from  the  brilliant  exploits  at  Saratoga  to  a  sad 
and  sober  record,  relieved  only  by  episodes  of  heroism,  sacrifice, 
and  devotion.  Washington,  at  the  opening  of  the  campaign,  had 
not  over  seven  or  eight  thousand  men,  while  General  Howe 
moved  out  of  New  York  with  more  than  double  that  number,  all 
veterans  and  eager  for  battle.  The  last  of  May,  Washington 
removed  from  his  winter  quarters  at  Morristown  to  a  strong  posi 
tion  behind  the  Raritan  at  Middlebrook,  in  order  to  more  care- 


July23t707Aug.25,j         TRE    CAMPAIGN    IN    PENNSYLVANIA.  227 

fully  watch  General  Howe,  then  at  New  Brunswick.  It  was  yet 
uncertain  where  he  would  strike,  though  he  evidently  aimed  at 
Philadelphia.  In  June  he  tried  to  cut  off  Sullivan  at  Princeton, 
but  failing  in  that,  manoeuvred  to  force  Washington  to  a  general 
engagement.  The  American  Fabius  was  too  wary,  and  so  Howe 
turned  back  to  Staten  Island.  The  5th  of  July  he  began  to 
embark  the  army  on  his  brother's  fleet.  Slow  and  pleasure-lov 
ing  as  ever,  he  kept  the  troops  on  shipboard  in  the  sultry  sun  till 
the  23d,  when  he  put  out  to  sea.  There  was  great  doubt  where 
the  bolt  would  fall.  Now  there  were  rumors  that  he  would  enter 
the  Delaware ;  now  that  he  had  returned  and  ascended  the  Hud 
son  ;  and  then  that  he  had  sailed  for  Charleston.  Meantime,  the 
army  was  moved  to  Germantown  to  await  events.  At  last  the 
news  that  the  British  were  actually  in  the  Chesapeake  dispelled 
all  doubt. 

The  army  was  immediately  set  in  motion.  In  order  to  over 
awe  the  disaffected,  the  troops  were  marched  through  Philadel 
phia,  down  Front  and  up  Chestnut  streets.  The  soldiers  looked 
their  best  and  the  fifes  and  drums  played  merrily,  but  they  could 
not  hide  their  indifferent  equipments  and  the  fact  that  the  finest 
uniform  was  a  brown  linen  hunting-shirt.  To  make  the  army 
appear  somewhat  alike,  each  soldier  wore  in  his  hat  a  sprig  of 
green.  Washington  took  post  at  Wilmington,  while  troops  of 
light  horse  and  infantry  were  sent  on  to  annoy  the  advance  of 
the  enemy,  who  were  already  landing  at  the  head  of  the  Elk 
River.  The  patriot  cause  looked  almost  hopeless.  With  the 
greatest  efforts,  Washington  had  collected  only  about  eleven 
thousand  five  hundred  men,  while  the  English  numbered,  accord 
ing  to  returns  in  the  British  Department  of  State,  nineteen 
thousand  five  hundred,  besides  officers.  The  contrast  in  the  dis 
cipline  and  equipments  of  the  two  armies  was  yet  more  marked. 
Howe  was  within  fifty-four  miles  of  Philadelphia,  with  a  level 
country  before  him,  no  strong  positions  for  defence,  and  a  popula 
tion  largely  royalist  or  indifferent.  Yet  Washington  determined 
to  hazard  a  battle  before  yielding  the  national  capital. 

Considerable  skirmishing  now  took  place,  during  which 
occurred  one  of  those  wonderful  instances  of  preservation  so 
characteristic  of  Washington's  career.  "  We  had  not  lain  long," 
says  Major  Ferguson,  of  the  rifle  corps,  "  when  a  rebel  officer, 
remarkable  by  a  huzzar  dress,  pressed  toward  our  army,  within  a 
hundred  yards  of  my  right  flank,  not  perceiving  us.  He  was 


228  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [?7?7.' 

followed  by  another,  dressed  in  a  dark  green  and  blue,  mounted 
on  a  bay  horse,  with  a  remarkable  high  cocked-hat.  I  ordered 
three  good  shots  to  steal  near  and  fire  at  them  ;  but  the  idea  dis 
gusting  me,  I  recalled  the  order.  The  huzzar,  in  returning,  made 
a  circuit,  but  the  other  passed  within  a  hundred  yards  of  us,  upon 
which  I  advanced  from  the  wood  toward  him.  Upon  my  calling 
he  stopped,  but  after  looking  at  me  he  proceeded.  I  again  drew 
his  attention  and  made  signs  to  him  to  stop,  leveling  my  piece  at 
him  ;  but  he  slowly  cantered  away.  As  I  was  within  that  dis 
tance  at  which,  in  the  quickest  firing,  I  could  have  lodged  half  a 
dozen  balls  in  or  about  him  before  he  was  out  of  my  reach,  I  had 
only  to  determine  ;  but  it  was  not  pleasant  to  fire  at  the  back  of 
an  unoffending  individual  who  was  acquitting  himself  very  coolly 
of  his  duty  ;  so  I  let  him  alone.  The  day  after,  I  had  been  telling 
this  story  to  some  wounded  officers  who  lay  in  the  same  room 
with  me,  when  one  of  the  surgeons,  who  had  been  dressing  the 
wounded  rebel  officers,  came  in  and  told  us  that  they  had  in 
formed  him  that  General  Washington  was  all  the  morning  with 
the  light  troops,  and  only  attended  by  a  French  officer  in  a  huzzar 
dress,  he  himself  dressed  and  mounted  in  every  point  as  above 
described.  I  am  not  sorry  that  I  did  not  know  at  the  time  who 
it  was." 

Washington  finally  took  position  back  of  the  Brandywine  to 
defend  the  principal  route  to  Philadelphia,  which  crosses  at 
Chad's  Ford ;  while  General  Sullivan  was  stationed  above  to 
watch  the  fords  and  protect  the  right  flank.  Howe  immediately 
made  his  arrangements  to  repeat  the  tactics  of  Long  Island. 
Knyphausen  and  the  Hessians  were  to  make  a  feint  of  forcing  a 
passage  at  Chad's  Ford,  while  Cornwallis  led  the  bulk  of  the  army 
higher  up  the  river.  Washington,  advised  of  the  movement,  de 
cided  to  cross  the  river  himself  and  cut  off  Knyphausen's  detach 
ment  before  Howe,  who  had  gone  on  with  Cornwallis,  could 
return  to  his  aid.  Word  was  at  once  dispatched  to  Sullivan  to 
move  over  the  fords  and  keep  Cornwallis  busy.  Unfortunately 
Sullivan  was  not  informed  of  the  progress  of  the  enemy,  and, 
relying  upon  insufficient  information,  disobeyed  his  orders  and 
halted.  Precious  time  was  lost.  The  plan  was  abandoned,  and 
before  Sullivan  could  believe  that  Cornwallis  had  left  Rennet 
Square,  in  front  of  Chad's  Ford,  he  was  actually,  with  thirteen 
thousand  men,  fairly  across  and  on  the  heights  near  Birmingham 
Meeting-House,  within  two  miles  of  his  own  right  flank.  Sulli- 


s<jpt-7M,]  BATTLE    OF    BRANDYWINE.  22Q 

van  now  did  what  he  could  to  remedy  the  terrible  mistake ;  but 
before  he  could  get  his  men  into  position,  the  British  were  upon 
him  with  the  bayonet.  The  raw  militia  hurled  back  charge  after 
charge,  but  at  length  gave  way  and  streamed  across  the  fields 
toward  the  main  body.  Lafayette,  struggling  sword  in  hand  to 
rally  the  fugitives,  was  shot  through  the  leg  by  a  musket  ball,  and 
was  helped  off  by  his  aide-de-camp. 

Meantime,  Washington  had  been  waiting  in  anxious  expecta 
tion.  Suddenly  a  whig  farmer,  named  Thomas  Cheney,  dashed 
into  camp,  his  horse  covered  with  foam,  and  informed  him  that 
while  out  reconnoitering  up  the  river,  he  had  suddenly  come  upon 
the  enemy ;  that  they  fired  upon  him,  and  he  had  only  escaped  by 
the  swiftness  of  his  horse.  Washington,  misled  so  often,  doubted 
the  intelligence,  but  the  man  exclaimed,  "  My  life  for  it,  you  are 
mistaken.  Put  me  under  guard  till  you  find  my  story  true ! " 
Just  then  came  word  from  Sullivan,  and  soon  the  booming  of 
guns  told  that  the  news  was  only  too  correct.  Putting  himself  at 
the  head  of  a  division  of  Pennsylvanians  and  Virginians,  Washing 
ton  hastened  to  the  relief  of  the  imperiled  right.  Greene,  with 
one  brigade,  marched  four  miles  in  forty-two  minutes.  Opening 
his  ranks  to  let  the  flying  militia  pass  through,  he  closed  them 
again  to  check  the  pursuers.  At  a  narrow  defile  about  a  mile 
from  Dilworth,  which  Washington  had  already  selected,  he  took 
a  stand.  The  British  came  in  hot  haste,  expecting  no  opposition. 
But  Greene  held  his  ground  obstinately.  When  night  came  on, 
he  drew  off  his  men  at  leisure.  Wayne  defended  Chad's  Ford 
against  Knyphausen  until  the  heavy  cannonading,  and  finally  the 
appearance  of  the  British  on  his  flank,  warned  him  of  his  danger, 
when  he  retreated  in  good  order. 

Lafayette  gives  a  graphic  picture  of  the  scene  along  the  road 
to  Chester  during  the  flight  of  the  militia.  Terror  and  confusion 
were  everywhere ;  fugitives,  cannon,  and  wagons  recklessly 
crowded  along  pell-mell,  while,  above  all,  in  the  rear  sounded 
volleys  of  musketry  and  the  roar  of  the  guns.  Amid  the  disorder 
and  darkness,  it  was  impossible  to  check  the  torrent.  At  the 
bridge  in  Chester,  Lafayette  placed  a  guard.  Washington  and  the 
troops  of  Generals  Greene,  Wayne,  Armstrong,  and  others  here 
came  up,  and  the  wearied  army  found  repose.  The  English  had 
marched  far,  and  the  check  by  Greene  was  too  decided  to  admit 
of  any  further  pursuit. 

September  i  ith  had  been  a  sad  day  for  the  patriot  cause.     The 


230 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


[Sept., 
L  17*77. 


American  loss  was  about  one  thousand,  the  British  half  as  great. 
The  streets  of  Philadelphia  were  full  of  citizens  anxiously  listen 
ing  to  the  sound  of  the  cannonade.  When  news  came  of  the 
American  defeat,  the  whigs  were  in  consternation.  Many  de 
serted  their  homes  and  fled,  leaving  all  behind  them.  Congress 
that  evening  voted  to  adjourn  to  Lancaster,  whence  it  afterward 
removed  to  York  with  all  the  archives  of  the  government. 

In   this   time  of  general  fear,  one  loves   to   linger   on   single 
instances    of   heroism.       Among    the 
names  to  be   remembered  is  that  of 
Hannah  Irwin  Israel,  whose  husband 
was  a  prisoner  on  board  a 
British  frigate  in  full  sight 
of  his  own  house.     He  had 
been  heard  to  say  that  he 
would  sooner  drive  his  cat 
tle  as  a  present  to  General 


MAP  OF  OPERATIONS 

IN  NEW  JERSEY 
AND   PENNSYLVANIA 

American  Routes.   II 

^      British  Routes.      00... v 

P^N^I>ott3Jrrm-e  _  „  Q*X 


Washington,  than 
to  receive  for  them 
thousands  of  dollars 
in  British  gold.  As 
a  retort,  a  detachment  of  soldiers 
was  sent  to  his  meadow  to  slaugh 
ter  his  cattle  before  his  eyes.  His 
spirited  young  wife,  who  was  not 
yet  out  of  her  teens,  saw  the  move 
ment,  and  with  quick  wit  divined  its  cause.  Taking  with  her 
a  young  boy,  only  eight  years  of  age,  she  ran  to  the  field, 
threw  down  the  bars,  and  commenced  to  drive  out  the  cattle. 
"  Stop,  or  we  shall  shoot  you !  "  shouted  the  soldiers.  "  Fire 
away ! "  was  the  only  answer  of  the  intrepid  woman,  intent  on  her 
determination.  The  balls  fell  thick  and  fast  about  her,  but  she 
carried  her  point,  saved  her  property,  and  saw  the  foiled  enemy 
go  empty-handed  back  to  their  ship.  Her  husband  was  tried,  and 


Sepi772"20']  TIIE    MASSACRE    AT    PAOLI.  231 

only  saved  his  life  by  giving  the  Masonic  sign  to  the  presiding 
officer,  who,  he  had  discovered,  was  a  member  of  the  order.  At 
this  magical  signal  everything  was  changed.  The  patriot,  who 
had  been  served  with  the  meanest  of  food  and  whose  bed  was  a 
coil  of  ropes  on  the  open  deck,  was  now  sent  to  his  home,  in  a 
splendid  barge,  loaded  with  presents  for  his  heroic  wife,  while  the 
tory  witnesses  who  had  caused  his  arrest,  received  a  reprimand 
for  wishing  harm  to  an  honorable  man. 

Washington  was  in  nowise  discouraged  by  the  defeat  of 
Brandywine.  The  next  day  he  moved  to  Germantown,  where 
he  gave  his  men  only  a  day's  rest,  and  then  recrossed  the  Schuyl- 
kill,  and  taking  the  Lancaster  road,  went  out  to  meet  Howe  again, 
if  need  be,  on  the  same  field.  The  two  armies  came  in  sight  near 
the  Warren  tavern,  twenty  miles  from  Philadelphia.  The  ad 
vanced  posts  had  begun  to  skirmish,  and  a  battle  seemed  immi 
nent,  when  a  deluging  rain,  which  lasted  for  twenty-four  hours, 
checked  all  movements.  The  Americans  had  no  tents  or  blankets^ 
their  guns  became  wet,  and  finally  it  was  discovered  that  the 
cartridge-boxes  were  so  poorly  made  that  they  admitted  the 
water,  and  the  ammunition  was  spoiled.  There  were  few  bayonets* 
and  retreat  was  the  only  resource.  All  day  and  part  of  the  next 
night,  the  army,  a  thousand  of  the  men  barefoot,  marched,  under  a 
pelting  rain,  over  muddy  roads,  to  Warwick  furnace,  where  sup 
plies  were  secured. 

Moving  thence  to  defend  the  passage  of  the  Schuylkill,  Wayne 
was  left  to  hang  on  the  enemy's  rear  and  cut  off  the  baggage. 
He  concealed  his  command  deep  in  the  wood,  and  supposed  no 
one  knew  of  his  whereabouts,  while  his  spies  watched  the  British 
camp.  Unfortunately,  he  was  surrounded  by  tories,  who  kept 
Howe  perfectly  informed  of  all  his  movements.  Grey,  known  as 
the  "  no-flint "  general,  because  he  usually  ordered  his  men  to  re 
move  the  flints  from  their  muskets  when  about  to  make  an  attack^ 
prepared  with  a  strong  detachment  to  surprise  him.  On  the  night 
of  September  2oth,  Wayne,  expecting  reinforcements,  had  ordered 
his  troops  to  lie  on  their  arms.  But,  in  the  dark  and  rain,  Grey 
stealthily  approached  the  camp,  cutting  down  the  pickets  on  the 
way.  The  alarm  was  given  and  Wayne  drew  up  his  men,  unfor 
tunately,  in  front  of  their  fires.  By  the  light,  the  enemy  saw  dis 
tinctly  where  to  strike.  Suddenly  the  British  dashed  out  of  the 
shade  of  the  forest,  and  the  bayonet  made  short  work.  Three 
hundred  of  the  patriots  were  killed,  wrounded,  or  captured,  many 


232  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [Sepi7727?"6i 

being  mercilessly  butchered  after  they  had  surrendered.  The 
British  lost  only  seven  men.  Wayne,  by  his  presence  of  mind, 
saved  the  rest  of  his  detachment  and  rejoined  Washington. 

The  Paoli  massacre,  as  it  was  called,  left  open  the  way  to 
Philadelphia.  By  a  feigned  movement  toward  Reading,  as  if  to 

seize  the  stores  at  that  point, 
Howe  decoyed  Washington  to 
defend  the  upper  fords  of  the 
Schuylkill,  while  he  turned  in  the 
night,  and,  crossing  below,  struck 
boldly  between  Philadelphia  and 
the  American  army.  Howe  en 
tered  the  city  on  the  26th.  The 
army  was  put  into  winter-quar- 

PAOLI  MONUMENT.  ters  there  and   Sit   Gcrmantown. 

As  the  British  general,  with  his 

brilliant  staff  and  escort,  marched  into  Philadelphia,  followed  by 
a  long  train  of  the  choicest  troops  in  the  army — grenadiers,  light- 
dragoons,  and  artillerymen  with  shining  brass  pieces,  all  in  holiday 
array — they  presented  an  imposing  spectacle.  Conquerors  they 
proclaimed  themselves  in  every  motion;  stepping  proudly  to  the 
swelling  music  of  GOD  SAVE  THE  KING,  and  "  presenting,"  says 
Irving,  "  with  their  scarlet  uniforms,  their  glittering  arms  and 
flaunting  feathers,  a  striking  contrast  to  the  poor  patriot  troops, 
who  had  recently  passed  through  the  same  streets,  weary  and 
wayworn,  and  happy  if  they  could  cover  their  raggedness  with  a 
brown  linen  hunting-frock,  and  decorate  their  caps  with  a  sprig 
of  evergreen." 

Washington's  campaign  seemed  a  failure.  Really,  however,  it 
was  a  success.  By  delaying  Howe  a  month  in  marching  little 
over  fifty  miles,  he  had  rendered  Saratoga  possible.  Howe  was 
to  have  taken  the  city  and  then  sent  reinforcements  to  the  north. 
By  the  time  he  had  accomplished  his  task,  the  fate  of  Burgoyne 
was  virtually  decided.  Moreover,  the  capture  of  the  national 
capital  proved  not  as  great  a  piece  of  good  fortune  as  was  antici 
pated.  The  dissipation  of  the  winter  sadly  demoralized  the  army, 
so  that  Franklin  wittily  said,  "  Howe  had  not  taken  Philadelphia 
so  much  as  Philadelphia  had  taken  Howe." 

Washington  would  not  let  the  enemies  of  his  country  rest  in 
peace.  A  few  weeks  after  they  had  nestled  down  in  their  snug 
quarters,  he  made  arrangements  for  a  surprise  upon  their  encamp- 


°$774']  BATTLE    OF    GERMANTOWN.  233 

ment  at  Germantown.  Howe,  having  sent  off  a  detachment 
against  the  forts  along  the  Delaware,  and  another  to  convey  some 
provisions,  gave  Washington  just  the  opportunity  he  wanted.  In 
the  evening  of  October  3d,  the  American  army  set  out  from  its 
encampment  at  Skippack  Creek  upon  this  hazardous  expedition. 
The  troops  moved  in  four  columns  by  as  many  roads.  Two  of 
these  were  to  attack  the  enemy  in  front  and  one  on  each  flank. 
They  were  to  time  their  march  of  fourteen  miles  so  as  to  reach 
the  neighborhood  early  enough  to  give  the  men  a  short  rest,  and 
then  at  daybreak  to  fall  simultaneously  upon  the  British  camp. 

The  column,  consisting  of  Sullivan's  and  Wayne's  divisions, 
and  Conway's  brigade,  which  was  to  enter  Germantown  by  the 
Chestnut  Hill  road  and  thence  through  the  principal  street  of  the 
village,  found  the  alarm  had  been  given  by  the  patrols,  and  the 
picket  on  Mount  Airy  was  under  arms.  It  was,  however,  soon 
driven  back  upon  a  battalion  of  light  infantry  and  the  fortieth 
regiment,  under  the  veteran  Colonel  Musgrave.  A  sharp  skir 
mish  followed.  Wayne's  men  were  not  to  be  stopped.  They  re 
membered  the  terrible  night  of  September  2Oth,  and  their  hearts 
were  steeled  and  their  arms  nerved.  It  was  now  their  turn  to 
use  the  bayonet,  and  the  officers  could  not  hold  them  back,  even 
when  the  time  for  mercy  came.  They  raised  the  terrible  cry  of 
"Revenge!  Revenge!  Have  at  the  blood  -  hounds !"  Howe, 
springing  from  his  bed,  and  rushing  in  among  the  fugitives, 
shouted,  "  For  shame  !  I  never  saw  you  retreat  before !  It  is 
only  a  scouting  party  !  "  But  the  rattling  grape-shot  told  a  more 
serious  story,  and  he  rushed  off  to  prepare  for  a  battle.  In  Phila 
delphia,  Cornwallis  heard  the  roar  of  the  guns  and  hastened  re 
inforcements  to  the  rescue.  Musgrave  would  not  flee,  but  threw 
himself  with  six  companies  into  the  large  stone  mansion  of  Justice 
Chew,  barricaded  the  doors  and  windows,  and  opened  fire  upon 
the  pursuing  troops.  Up  to  this  point  all  went  well  for  the 
patriot  cause. 

Now  came  a  turn  in  the  tide.  Instead  of  watching  this  little 
fortress  with  a  detachment,  the  troops  stopped  to  capture  it, 
General  Knox  declaring  that  it  was  against  every  rule  of  war  to 
leave  a  fort  in  the  rear.  So  much  for  red  tape.  Smith,  a  gallant 
Virginian,  advanced,  bearing  a  flag  with  a  summons  to  surrender. 
He  was  fired  upon  and  mortally  wounded.  Cannon  were  brought 
to  bear,  but  proved  too  light.  Attempts  were  made  to  set  fire  to 
the  house,  but  in  vain.  After  a  precious  half-hour  was  wasted, 


234 


THIRD    YEAR  -OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


roct.  4, 

L  1777. 


the  column  moved  on,  leaving  a  regiment  to  guard  the  place. 
During  the  attack,  the  troops  had  become  separated.  A  dense  fog 
made  it  impossible  to  recognize  one  another,  and  parties  fre 
quently  exchanged  shots  before  they  found  out  their  mistake. 
The  two  columns  of  militia  which  were  to  attack  the  flanks  never 
fired  a  shot.  Greene,  who  had  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  army, 
was  to  strike  the  English  right  wing  near  the  market-place,  but 
being  three-quarters  of  an  hour  late,  the  British  were  ready  to 


BATTLE  OF  GERMANTOWN— ATTACK   ON  CHEW'S  HOUSE. 

receive  him,  and  his  attack  proved  a  failure.  Williams's  regi 
ment  of  Virginians  pushed  gallantly  forward,  and  took  prisoners  a 
large  party  of  the  British,  but  raising  a  shout  brought  a  larger 
force  upon  them  through  the  fog,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
surrender.  Woodford's  brigade  opened  a  cannonade  on  Chew's 
house.  Wayne's  men  had  now  pushed  down  the  street;  but, 
alarmed  by  this  firing  and  supposing  the  British  had  gained  their 
rear  and  cut  them  off  from  camp,  they  became  panic-stricken.  In 
their  retreat  they  came  upon  Stephen's  brigade,  where,  being 
mistaken  for  the  enemy,  they  caused  a  fresh  flurry  among  these 
troops.  Sullivan's  men  had  exhausted  their  ammunition,  when 
they  were  startled  by  the  cry  of  a  light-horseman  that  they  were 
surrounded.  Washington,  who  was  in  the  very  front  of  the  battle 
and  under  the  hottest  fire,  now  gave  the  order  to  retreat.  It  was 
sent  to  every  detachment,  and  the  men  crept  off  in  the  fog  as 


Jan.-^prii.j  EVENTS    ABOUT    NEW    YORK.  235 

silently  as  they  came.  Pulaski  with  his  cavalry  gallantly  covered 
the  movement.  Not  a  cannon  was  left  behind.  The  British  lost 
about  six  hundred  and  the  patriots  one  thousand,  including 
General  Nash  and  other  valuable  officers. 

The  battle  was  counted  as  an  American  defeat ;  yet  it  greatly 
encouraged  the  patriots.  They  afterward  learned  that  they  had 
come  off  in  the  very  moment  of  victory  ;  that  Howe  was  on  the 
point  of  retreating,  and  that  Chester  had  been  already  named  as 
the  place  of  rendezvous.  The  British  officers  could  but  respect  a 
general  who  displayed  so  much  daring,  and  whose  plans  would  have 
certainly  ended  in  the  utter  route  of  their  army,  had  it  not  been 
for  events  over  which  he  could  have  no  control.  This  battle  also 
had  an  excellent  effect  in  Europe.  Count  Vergennes  said  to  the 
American  commissioners  in  Paris  that  "  Nothing  struck  him  so 
much  as  General  Washington's  advancing  and  giving  battle  to 
General  Howe.  To  bring  an  army  raised  within  a  year  to  this, 
promises  everything." 

While  New  Jersey  had  been  the  centre  of  interest,  some  events 
had  occurred  at  the  northward  worth  recording.  When  Wash 
ington  was  hurrying  his  weary  men  from  Princeton,  he  sent  a 
note  to  General  Heath,  then  in  command  of  the  American  troops 
collected  in  the  Highlands,  to  make  a  demonstration  upon  New 
York,  hoping  thereby  to  induce  the  enemy  to  withdraw  troops 
from  Jersey  for  the  defence  of  that  city.  Heath  accordingly  ad 
vanced  to  King's  Bridge,  and  sent  a  bombastic  summons  to  Fort 
Independence,  threatening  to  put  everybody  to  the  sword  who 
did  not  surrender  within  twenty  minutes.  After  a  few  days 
skirmishing,  learning  of  troops  up  the  Sound  which  might  get  in 
his  rear,  he  withdrew,  the  laughing-stock  of  both  armies. 

In  March,  General  Howe,  with  a  fleet  of  ten  sail,  ascended 
the  Hudson  to  Peekskill,  and,  landing,  set  fire  to  a  large  quantity 
of  army  stores  collected  at  that  place.  General  McDougal,  hav 
ing  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  could  muster  little  defence 
against  the  overwhelming  force  of  the  enemy. 

Late  in  April,  Governor  Tryon,  with  about  two  thousand  men, 
left  New  York  to  destroy  the  military  supplies  at  Danbury,  Con 
necticut.  He  landed  at  the  foot  of  Compo  Hill,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Saugatuck  River.  The  expedition  was  a  surprise  and  met 
with  no  resistance.  At  Bethel,  on  the  way,  an  amusing  incident 
occurred.  One  Luther  Holcomb,  in  order  to  lengthen  the  time 
as  much  as  possible  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  of  Danbury,  rode 


236  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 

to  the  top  of  a  hill,  over  which  the  British  were  about  to  make 
their  way,  and,  waving  his  hat,  turned  to  an  imaginary  host  in  his 
rear,  shouting,  "  Halt  the  whole  universe  !  break  off  into  king 
doms  ! "  Tryon  immediately  checked  his  army,  arranged  his 
cannon  so  as  to  sweep  the  advancing  enemy,  and  sent  out  recon- 
noitering  parties.  Holcomb,  content  with  having  stopped  the 
whole  army  by  a  bit  of  rodomontade,  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and 
retreated  to  Danbury,  leaving  the  duped  general  to  digest  the 
joke  as  amiably  as  possible.  Guided  by  two  tories  of  Danbury, 
Tryon  reached  that  place  and  destroyed  the  stores.  The  night 
was  passed  in  drinking  and  carousing.  At  dawn,  the  torch  was 
set  to  all  the  houses  except  those  of  the  tories,  and,  amid  the 
flames  of  the  burning  town,  the  troops  started  on  their  return. 

Then  ensued  a  scene  like  that  of  Lexington  and  Concord  two 
years  before.  The  militia  were  fast  gathering  from  the  neighbor 
ing  villages.  Tryon  took  a  new  route,  hoping  to  dodge  his  foes, 
but  they  were  not  to  be  thrown  off.  General  Wooster,  then  a 
veteran  of  near  seventy,  with  a  little  force  of  two  hundred,  hung 
on  the  rear.  While  encouraging  his  men  he  was  mortally 
wounded.  Generals  Arnold  and  Silliman  hurried  to  Ridgefield, 
and,  throwing  up  a  barricade  across  the  road,  with  five  hundred  men 
awaited  the  advance  of  two  thousand.  They  held  their  post  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,  when  it  was  outflanked.  A  whole  platoon 
fired  upon  Arnold  at  a  distance  of  thirty  yards.  His  horse  fell, 
and  a  tory  rushed  up,  calling  upon  him  to  surrender.  "  Not  yet/* 
exclaimed  Arnold,  as  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  drew  a  pistol,  and  shot 
the  man  dead.  Then,  springing  toward  a  swamp,  under  a  shower 
of  bullets,  he  escaped  unharmed,  and  was  soon  off  mustering  the 
militia  on  the  road  in  advance  of  the  British. 

Tryon  remained  here  all  night,  and  the  next  day  renewed  his 
perilous  journey.  The  patriots,  from  behind  stone  walls  and 
buildings,  continually  annoyed  the  march.  Lamb,  with  artillery 
and  volunteers  from  New  Haven,  was  at  the  Saugatuck  bridge. 
Tryon  avoided  them  by  fording  the  river  a  mile  above,  and  then, 
putting  his  men  at  full  speed,  ran  for  the  hill  of  Compo. 
Some  of  the  Continentals  pushed  across  the  bridge  and  struck 
them  in  flank;  some  kept  along  the  west  side  and  galled  them 
with  shot  and  ball,  and  some  forded  the  stream  and  fired  on  the 
rear-guard.  Arnold  led  on  the  attack  until  his  horse  was  dis 
abled,  and  seamen  from  the  fleet,  coming  to  the  rescue,  checked 
the  Americans  in  their  eager  pursuit.  Tryon's  wearied  party 


July  IO,-] 
1777.   J 


CAPTURE    OF    GENERAL    PRESCOTT. 


237 


now  embarked,  harassed  to  the  very  last  by  Lamb's  artillery.  In 
this  useless  exploit  the  British  lost  two  hundred  men,  and,  by 
their  savage  ferocity,  kindled  everywhere  a  hatred  that  burned 
long  after  peace  had  come.  Congress  voted  Arnold  a  capari 
soned  horse,  as  a  token  of  approbation  for  his  gallant  conduct. 

The  next  month  Colonel  Meigs  avenged  the  loss  at  Danbury. 
Embarking  in  whale-boats  at  Guilford  about  two  hundred  militia 


men,  he  crossed  the  Sound 
on  the  night  of  May  23d,  and 
reaching  Sag  Harbor  at  day 
break,  burned  there  a  British 
vessel  of  half  a  do^en  guns 
and  several  loaded  transports, 
destroyed  the  stores,  and  cap 
tured  ninety  prisoners,  escap 
ing  without  the  loss  of  a  man. 
For  this  brilliant  feat  Congress 
presented  him  a  sword. 

In   July,   Lieutenant-Colonel   Barton   laid  a  plan   to   capture 
General  Prescott,  in  command  of  the  British  forces  in  Rhode 


CAPTURE   OF   GENERAL    PRESCOTT. 


238  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [°rrf: 

Island,  who  was  quartered  at  a  lonely  farm-house  near  Newport. 
Taking  about  forty  militia  in  boats,  Barton  rowed  across  Narra- 
ganset  Bay,  through  the  English  fleet,  dexterously  avoiding  their 
vessels,  and  landed  in  a  cove  close  by  the  general's  quarters. 
Seizing  the  astonished  sentinel  who  guarded  his  door,  they 
entered  the  house,  captured,  and  hurried  off  the  half -dressed 
general.  A  soldier,  escaping  from  the  house,  gave  the  alarm, 
but  the  laughing  guard  assured  him  he  had  seen  a  ghost.  They 
soon,  however,  found  it  to  be  no  jesting  matter,  and  vainly  pur 
sued  the  exultant  Barton ;  for,  while  they  were  searching  the 
sand  on  the  shore  for  the  foot-prints  of  his  party,  he  passed  under 
the  stern  of  the  English  guard-ship  and  escaped  to  Providence. 
"  You  have  made  a  bold  push  to-night,"  said  Prescott  as  they 
landed.  "  We  have  done  as  well  as  we  could,"  replied  Barton. 
He  received  a  sword  from  Congress  and  was  also  promoted  to 
a  colonelcy. 

Unfortunately,  Lee  was  the  only  officer  in  Howe's  possession 
with  the  same  rank  as  Prescott,  and  they  were  exchanged.  It 
proved  no  gain  to  the  patriot  cause,  although  at  that  time  every 
body  rejoiced  that  by  this  daring  feat  they  had  again  secured  the 
"  palladium  of  their  liberties." 

While  Burgoyne  was  making  his  desperate  adventure  at  the 
north,  Clinton  attempted  a  diversion  from  the  south,  as  was  ex 
pected  at  the  beginning  of  the  campaign.  Putnam,  commanding 
on  the  Hudson,  in  his  easy  good-nature  had  allowed  his  troops  to 
become  scattered,  so  that  he  had  only  two  thousand  men  for  the 
defence  of  the  Highlands.  Clinton  made  a  feint  on  Fishkill, 
which  led  Putnam  off  on  a  wild-goose  chase.  George  Clinton, 
governor  of  New  York,  however,  saw  the  real  point  of  danger, 
and  hastened,  with  his  brother  and  all  the  troops  he  could  gather, 
to  Forts  Clinton  and  Montgomery.  October  6th,  the  British 
landed  and  carried  both  forts  by  storm.  The  garrison  made  a 
desperate  resistance,  but,  being  overpowered  by  superior  num 
bers,  fled,  and,  favored  by  the  gathering  darkness,  mostly  escaped 
over  the  hills.  The  heavy  iron  chain  and  boom  which  had  been 
put  across  the  river  to  prevent  the  ascent  of  the  British  fleet  was 
now  useless.  Two  American  frigates,  sent  down  for  the  defence 
of  the  obstructions,  were  becalmed,  and  were  fired  to  prevent 
their  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Fort  Constitution 
being  abandoned,  the  Hudson  was  opened  to  Albany.  Clinton, 
however,  took  no  advantage  of  the  opportunity,  but  returned  to 


°£}j}?'~\  BURNING    OF    KINGSTON,    NEW    YORK.  239 

New  York,  leaving  Burgoyne  to  his  fate.  Vaughan  remained 
behind  and  led  a  marauding  party  as  far  up  as  Kingston  (October 
1 5th),  burning  and  plundering  that  town  and  the  houses  of 
patriots  along  the  river.  If  Clinton  had  gone  on  to  Albany, 
Gates,  then  on  the  eve  of  success,  would  have  been  forced  to 
retreat  into  New  England,  and  Burgoyne's  way  would  have  been 
clear.  As  it  was,  this  wanton,  useless  expedition  only  excited 
wide-spread  indignation. 

A  very  amusing  incident  is  told  which  occurred  during  this 
sally.  Some  Dutchmen  were  at  work  near  a  swampy  flat, 
when  suddenly  the  red-coats  came  in  view.  It  was  low  water, 
and  they  fled  across  the  flats  toward  Ponkhocken,  as  fast  as  their 
legs  could  carry  them,  not  daring  to  look  behind,  lest,  like  Lot's 
wife,  they  might  be  detained.  The  summer  haymakers  had  left  a 
rake  on  the  marsh  meadow,  and  upon  this  one  of  the  fugitives 
trod,  the  handle  striking  him  in  the  back.  Not  doubting  that  a 
"  Britisher "  was  close  upon  his  heels,  he  stopped  short,  and, 
throwing  up  his  hands  imploringly,  exclaimed,  "  O,  mein  Cot ! 
mein  Cot !  I  kivs  up.  Hoorah  for  King  Shorge  !  " 

Meantime,  Governor  Clinton  had  been  trying  to  raise  a  force 
for  the  defence  of  Kingston.  While  he  was  encamped  near  New 
Windsor,  collecting  the  scattered  troops,  one  day  about  noon  a 
horseman  galloped  in  hot  haste  up  to  the  sentinel  on  guard,  and, 
in  answer  to  his  challenge,  said,  "  I  am  a  friend  and  wish  to  see 
General  Clinton."  He  was  admitted  to  the  general's  presence, 
but  on  entering  betrayed  an  involuntary  surprise,  and  muttering, 
"  I  am  lost !  "  was  seen  to  hastily  put  something  into  his  mouth 
and  swallow  it.  Suspicion  being  thus  excited,  he  was  arrested 
and  given  a  heavy  dose  of  tartar  emetic.  This  brought  to  light  a 
silver  bullet,  which,  however,  the  prisoner  succeeded  in  again 
swallowing.  He  refused  to  repeat  the  dose,  but  was  assured 
that  resistance  was  useless,  as,  in  case  he  persisted,  he  would 
be  immediately  hanged  and  a  post-mortem  examination  effected. 
Having  yielded,  the  bullet  was  at  length  secured.  It  was  found 
to  be  hollow,  and  secreted  within  it  was  the  following  note, 
written  two  days  before  : 

"FORT  MONTGOMERY,  Oct.  8,  1777. 

"  Nous  y  void,  and  nothing  now  between  us  and  Gates.  I 
sincerely  hope  this  little  success  of  ours  may  facilitate  your 
operations.  In  answer  to  your  letter  of  the  28th  of  September 


240 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


1777. 


by  C.  C.,  I  shall  only  say,  I  cannot  presume  to  order  or  even 
advise,  for  reasons  obvious.     I  heartily  wish  you  success. 

"  Faithfully  yours,  "H.  CLINTON. 

"  General  Burgoyne" 


This  established  the  guilt  of  the  prisoner.  The  secret 
senger  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton  had  supposed  the  Americans 
utterly  routed  in  the  Highlands ; 
and  the  persistent  contempt  of 
the  British,  who  never  granted 
the  honor  of  a  military  title  to 
any  American  officer — addressing 
the  commander -in -chief  himself 
only  as  Mr.  Washington — so  mis 
led  him  that  when  he  heard  of  his 
proximity  to  General  Clinton,  he 
supposed  himself  of  course  among 
his  own  friends.  He  was  tried, 
condemned,  and  hanged  as  a  spy 
while  the  flames  of  burning  Eso- 
pus,  fired  by  Vaughan's  maraud- 


mes- 
to  be 


^«8B~=38t 


EXECUTION   OF  A  SPY  AT  KINGSTON,   NEW  YORK. 


ing  party,  streamed  up  the  distant  sky, 
in  full  sight  of  the  apple-tree  on  which 
he  ignominiously  swung. 

In  order  to  prevent  the  English  fleet 
from  ascending  the  Delaware,  that  river  had  been  carefully  forti 
fied.  A  few  miles  below  Philadelphia,  a  strong  redoubt,  called 
Fort  Mifflin,  had  been  erected,  and  on  the  New  Jersey  shore,  at  Red 
Bank,  another,  named  Fort  Mercer.  The  principal  channel,  lying 
between  these  fortifications,  had  been  obstructed  by  strong  chevaux 


0(J777,2']  ATTACK  ON  FORT  MERCER.  241 

de  frise,  or  frames  made  of  heavy  timbers,  armed  with  spikes  and 
filled  with  stone,  so  as  to  keep  them  in  their  place.  Under  the 
protection  of  the  guns  were  moored  floating  batteries,  galleys, 
and  fire-ships.  Further  down  the  river,  at  Billingsport,  was 
another  fort  with  similar  obstructions ;  these,  however,  were 
captured  by  an  English  detachment  soon  after  the  battle  of 
Brandywine,  and,  by  the  middle  of  October,  several  vessels  broke 
a  passage  through  the  obstacles  in  the  channel.  The  upper  forts 
remained,  and  it  was  determined  to  defend  them  to  the  last. 
Colonel  Greene  was  in  command  at  Fort  Mercer,  with  four 
hundred  Rhode  Island  Continentals,  having  Captain  Mauduit 
Duplessis,  a  brave  French  engineer  officer,  to  direct  the  artillery. 
Fort  Mifflin  was  garrisoned  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith,  and 
about  the  same  number  of  Maryland  troops  of  the  line.  The 
fleet  was  under  Commodore  Hazlewood.  Howe  saw  that  he 
must  open  up  communications  with  his  ships,  or  his  position  in 
Philadelphia  would  become  untenable  from  the  difficulty  of  secur 
ing  supplies. 

On  the  morning  of  the  226.  of  October,  the  little  garrison  at 
Fort  Mercer  was  startled  by  the  appearance  on  the  edge  of  the 
woods,  within  cannon-shot,  of  a  body  of  Hessians,  twelve  hun 
dred  strong,  under  Count  Donop.  Soon  an  officer  with  a  flag  and 
a  drummer  approached  and  pompously  demanded  a  surrender — 
"  The  king  of  England  orders  his  rebellious  subjects  to  lay  down 
their  arms,  and  they  are  warned  that  if  they  stand  the  battle  no 
quarter  will  be  given."  Greene  at  once  replied,  "  We  ask  no  quar 
ter,  nor  will  we  give  any."  Hurried  preparations  were  made  for 
defence.  About  five  o'clock  the  enemy  advanced  to  the  assault  in 
columns,  headed  by  a  captain,  with  the  carpenters  and  their  axes, 
and  a  hundred  men  carrying  fascines  for  filling  the  ditches.  The 
outworks  were  unfinished,  and  the  garrison  made  little  attempt  to 
defend  them.  The  Hessians,  elated  by  the  easy  victory,  entered 
at  two  points,  and  rushed  forward  with  the  drum  "  beating  a 
lively  march."  Not  a  man  was  to  be  seen,  and  on  the  north  side 
some  even  reached  the  earthworks,  when  a  terrible  musketry  fire 
burst  forth.  At  the  same  time  their  flanks  were  raked  with 
grape-shot  from  a  battery  in  the  angle  of  the  embankment,  and 
chain-shot  from  a  couple  of  galleys  concealed  behind  the  bushes 
on  the  bank.  The  Hessians,  however,  pressed  ahead.  Under 
Donop  at  the  south  side  they  broke  through  the  abattis,  filled  the 
ditch,  and  began  to  ascend  the  rampart.  But  those  who  reached 
16 


242  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  I°m72' 

the  top  were  struck  down  by  spear  and  bayonet.  Donop  fell 
mortally  wounded.  The  rest  were  forced  to  fall  back  to  the  pro 
tection  of  the  forest.  In  this  brief  hour  of  slaughter,  the  British 
lost  four  hundred  men  and  the  Americans  only  thirty-eight. 

While  Mauduit  was  inspecting  the  works  after  the  assault 
was  repulsed,  he  heard  some  one  calling  out,  "  Whoever  you  are, 
draw  me  hence."  It  proved  to  be  Count  Donop,  who,  mortally 
wounded,  was  wedged  in  among  the  bodies  of  the  slain.  He  lived 
three  days  afterward,  receiving  every  possible  comfort  from  Mau 
duit,  who  personally  attended  him  until  his  death.  "  It  is  finish 
ing  a  noble  career  early,"  he  said  to  his  kind  companion.  "  I  die 
the  victim  of  my  ambition  and  of  the  avarice  of  my  king ;  but, 
dying  in  the  arms  of  honor,  I  have  no  regrets."  Thus  perished 
this  brave  man,  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven.  He  was  buried  near 
the  fort  he  vainly  sought  to  capture.  A  rough  boulder  marks  the 
spot.  His  bones  have  been  carried  off  by  relic-hunters,  and  his 
skull  is  said  to  be  in  the  hands  of  a  New  Jersey  physician. 

The  British  fleet  ascended  the  river  to  take  part  in  the  contest. 
The  next  day  they  opened  a  heavy  cannonade  on  Fort  Mifflin. 
The  reply  from  fort  and  fleet  was  too  severe,  and  they  were 
forced  to  drop  down  the  stream.  Two  frigates,  the  Augusta  and 
the  Merlin,  grounded.  The  former  was  blown  up  by  red-hot 
shot  from  the  American  guns,  several  of  her  officers  and  crew 
perishing  in  the  explosion ;  the  latter  was  set  on  fire  and  aban 
doned  by  her  crew. 

During  the  attack,  one  old  lady  remained  in  her  house  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  answering  urgent  entreaties  to  flee  with 
"  God's  arm  is  strong,  and  will  protect  me ;  I  may  do  good  by 
staying."  She  was  left  to  her  fate,  and  while  the  balls  whizzed 
and  rattled,  battering  against  the  brick  walls  of  her  dwelling,  like 
hailstones  in  a  tempest,  the  steady  hum  of  her  spinning-wheel  was 
undisturbed  and  unbroken.  At  length  a  twelve-pounder  came 
booming  through  the  side  of  the  house,  sundering  partitions  with 
a  terrific  crash,  and  landing  in  a  wall  near  the  plucky  spinner. 
Taking  her  wheel,  she  now  retreated  to  the  cellar,  where  she  con 
tinued  her  industry  till  the  battle  was  over.  She  then  put  her 
spinning  aside,  and  devoted  herself  to  the  suffering  wounded  who 
were  brought  into  her  house.  She  cared  for  all  alike,  but  admin 
istered  a  stirring  rebuke  to  the  mercenary  Hessians,  while,  at  the 
same  time,  she  tenderly  dressed  their  wounds.  The  name  of  this 
brave  woman  was  Anna  Whitall,  a  Quakeress. 


NOV|777,20>]  CAPTURE    OF    MERCER    AND    RED    BANK.  243 

The  British  now  adopted  surer  measures  for  the  reduction  of 
the  forts.  Heavy  works  were  erected  on  the  Pennsylvania  shore 
and  on  Province  Island  at  a  distance  of  five  hundred  yards.  In  all, 
fourteen  redoubts  manned  with  heavy  artillery,  a  floating  bat 
tery  of  twenty-two  guns  at  forty  yards,  and  a  fleet  carrying  three 
hundred  and  thirty -six  guns,  were  brought  to  bear  upon  this 
devoted  garrison.  From  the  loth  to  the  i5th,  they  kept  up  an 
unbroken  rain  of  bomb  and  shot.  Smith  was  wounded  and  left 
the  fort ;  the  next  in  rank  being  also  disabled,  Major  Thayer  of 
Rhode  Island  volunteered  for  the  command.  On  the  last  day, 
other  vessels  worked  up  into  the  narrow  channel  next  the  shore, 
where  they  could  throw  in  hand-grenades.  About  ten  o'clock, 
a  bugle-note  gave  the  signal,  and  the  fire  was  renewed  with 
redoubled  energy.  The  only  two  serviceable  guns  were  dis 
mounted.  The  yard-arms  of  the  ships  overlooked  the  earth 
works,  so  that  sharp-shooters  perched  in  the  tops  picked  off  every 
man  who  showed  himself  upon  the  platforms.  In  the  night,  the 
remainder  of  the  garrison,  nearly  two  hundred  and  fifty  having 
been  killed  or  wounded,  passed  over  to  Red  Bank.  When  the 
British  entered  the  deserted  works  the  next  morning,  they  found 
nearly  every  cannon  stained  with  the  blood  of  its  gallant  de 
fenders. 

Howe,  having  been  heavily  reinforced  from  New  York,  sent 
Cornwallis  with  a  superior  body  of  troops  along  the  left  shore  of 
the  Delaware.  Red  Bank  was  evacuated,  part  of  the  American 
vessels  escaping  during  a  dark  night  up  to  Burlington,  and  the 
rest  being  destroyed.  The  British  leveled  the  fortifications, 
removed  a  part  of  the  obstructions,  and  soon  had  complete  con 
trol  of  the  river.  Philadelphia  was  fortified,  and  Howe's  position 
.became  secure. 

Winter  had  come,  but  Washington  was  unwilling  to  send  his 
men  to  York,  Lancaster,  or  Carlisle,  the  nearest  towns  where 
they  could  be  comfortably  housed,  as  that  would  leave  a  large 
and  fertile  country  open  to  the  incursions  of  the  enemy.  So  he 
still  kept  his  famishing  and  suffering  army  in  the  field.  On  the 
night  of  December  4th,  Howe  quietly  left  Philadelphia  with  four 
teen  thousand  men,  hoping  to  surprise  Washington  and  "  drive 
the  Federal  army  over  the  Blue  Mountains."  To  his  astonish 
ment,  he  found  Washington  occupying  a  strong  position  in 
wooded  heights  at  Whitemarsh,  all  ready  to  receive  him.  For 
several  days  he  skirmished  about,  trying  to  draw  Washington 


244  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [^i?'??]8' 

out  of  his  camp,  but  finding  this  impossible,  and  not  daring  to 
attack  him  in  his  chosen  position,  during  the  night  of  the  8th  he 
decamped  and  hastened  back  to  Philadelphia,  making  such  good 
time  that  the  next  day  none  but  the  American  light-horse  could 
overtake  his  rear-guard. 

The  secret  of  his  failure  may  be  easily  told.  The  British 
adjutant-general  had  fixed  upon  a  back-chamber  in  the  house  of 
William  and  Lydia  Darrah,  as  a  convenient  place  for  private  con 
ference  ;  and  here  he  often  met  one  or  more  officers  in  close 
consultation.  One  day  he  requested  Lydia  to  prepare  the  room 
with  fire  and  candles,  as  he  should  need  it  that  evening,  adding 
in  an  impressive  voice,  "  Be  sure  that  your  family  are  all  in  bed  at 
an  early  hour."  His  manner  excited  her  curiosity,  and  after  they 
had  entered  and  locked  themselves  in  their  room,  she  quietly 
arose,  and  in  her  stocking-feet  stole  to  the  door.  Putting  her  ear 
to  the  keyhole,  she  distinctly  heard  an  order  read  for  an  attack  on 
Washington's  troops  the  next  night.  Lydia  was  a  true  patriot, 
and  this  order  banished  sleep  from  her  eyes.  In  the  early  dawn 
she  aAvoke  her  husband  and  informed  him  that  she  was  obliged  to 
go  to  Frankford  that  morning  for  flour.  As  the  Philadelphians 
were  chiefly  dependent  on  the  Frankford  mills,  this  was  a  frequent 
occurrence,  and  a  passport  was  readily  furnished  by  General 
Howe,  at  whose  headquarters  she  stopped  on  her  way  out  of  the 
city.  She  walked  the  five  miles  over  the  frozen  snow  that  cold 
December  morning  at  her  utmost  speed,  and,  halting  at  the  mill 
only  long  enough  to  leave  her  bag,  pressed  rapidly  on  toward 
the  American  lines.  Meeting  Lieutenant-Colonel  Craig,  whom 
Washington  had  sent  out  as  a  scout,  she  relieved  her  mind  of  its. 
burden.  Hastening  back  to  the  mill,  she  shouldered  her  bag  of 
flour  and  returned  home  without  exciting  suspicion.  On  the 
return  of  the  discomfited  troops,  the  adjutant-general  called  her 
to  his  room  and  proceeded  to  question  her.  "  Lydia,  were  any 
of  your  family  up  on  the  night  I  received  company  here  ? " 
"  No,"  she  promptly  replied,  "  they  all  retired  at  eight  o'clock," 
which  was  true.  "  It  is  very  strange,"  he  pursued  ;  "  you,  I 
know,  were  asleep,  for  I  knocked  at  your  door  three  times  before 
you  heard  me  when  we  left  the  house."  This  also  was  true,  in  so 
far  as  his  knocking  was  concerned  ;  for  the  subtle  Lydia  had  too 
much  at  stake  to  appear  awake  at  that  moment,  and  had  feigned 
the  heaviest  of  slumber.  "  It  is  certain  we  were  betrayed,  yet 
how  I  cannot  imagine,"  he  concluded,  "  unless  the  walls  of  the 


De?777211]  THE    CAMP    AT    VALLEY    FORGE.  245 

house  tell  tales."  His  meek  listener  left  him  to  his  own  conjec 
tures,  and  respectfully  retired. 

Such  was  the  condition  of  the  soldiers  and  the  severity  of  the 
season,  that  it  became  absolutely  necessary  to  provide  them  with 
some  shelter.  Washington,  after  careful  deliberation,  selected 
Valley  Forge,  a  secluded  spot  about  twenty  miles  from  Phila 
delphia.  Here  he  would  be  able  to  keep  watch  of  the  enemy  and 
protect  the  people  from  incursions.  December  nth,  the  army  set 
out  on  its  painful  march  of  eight  days.  Reaching  their  destination, 
the  men  had  yet  to  build  their  own  houses.  The  i8th  was  ob 
served  as  a  "  day  of  thanksgiving  and  praise,"  says  the  record.  It 
must  have  been  truly  a  patient  heart  that,  in  that  extremity,  could 
have  felt  any  response  to  such  a  recommendation  of  Congress. 

The  next  day,  the  troops  began  to  cut  down  trees  and  erect 
log-houses  over  the  sloping  hill-sides.  The  huts  were  each  four 
teen  feet  by  sixteen ;  the  interstices  were  filled  with  clay ;  the  fire 
places  were  plastered  with  the  same  material ;  and  the  roofs  were 
covered  with  split  planks,  or  thatched  with  boughs.  These  rude 
dwellings  were  arranged  in  regular  streets,  and  within  the  Christ 
mas  holidays  the  Valley  took  on  quite  the  look  of  a  military  en 
campment. 

While  this  work  was  going  briskly  forward,  Washington  re 
ceived  news  that  the  enemy  was  making  a  sortie  toward  Chester. 
On  orders  being  issued  for  the  troops  to  be  ready  to  march,  the 
generals  replied,  "  Fighting  is  preferable  to  starving."  The  men, 
already  without  bread  for  three  and  meat  for  two  days,  had  muti 
nied.  In  this  emergency,  with  his  shivering,  famishing  men  around 
•him,  Washington  learned  that  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  had 
remonstrated  against  his  going  into  winter-quarters,  instead  of 
keeping  the  field.  It  manifested  a  cruel  indifference,  and  he  in 
dignantly  wrote  to  the  president  of  Congress :  "  Gentlemen  repro 
bate  the  going  into  winter-quarters  as  much  as  if  they  thought  the 
soldiers  were  made  of  stocks  or  stones,  and  equally  insensible  of 
cold  and  hunger.  *  *  *  I  can  assure  these  gentlemen,  that  it 
is  a  much  easier,  less  distressing  thing,  to  draw  remonstrances  in 
a  comfortable  room,  by  a  good  fireside,  than  to  occupy  a  bleak 
hill,  and  sleep  under  frost  and  snow,  without  clothes  or  blankets. 
However,  although  they  seem  to  have  little  feeling  for  the  naked 
and  distressed  soldiers,  I  feel  abundantly  for  them,  and  from  my 
soul  I  pity  their  distresses,  which  it  is  neither  in  my  power  to 
relieve  nor  prevent." 


246 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


TDec., 
L.I777. 


This  spirited  rebuke  did  not  still  the  clamor,  and  Washing 
ton  was  even  advised  to  risk  all  and  dash  his  little  army  to 
pieces  by  hurling  it  against  the  strong  entrenchments  of  the 
English  at  Philadelphia,  rather  than  endure  longer  the  reproach 
of  inactivity. 


WASHINGTON  S    HEADQUARTERS    AT   VALLEY    FORGE. 


UNIVERSITY 


7 


CHAPTER    V. 

FOURTH  YEA&  OF  THE  DEVOLUTION— -1778. 

HE  winter  at  Valley  Forge  was,  in 
deed,  the  darkest  period  of  all 
that  "  time  which  tried  men's 
souls."  The  Continental  paper- 
money  was  so  depreciated  in 
value  that  an  officer's  pay  would 
not  keep  him  in  clothes.  Many, 
having  spent  their  entire  for 
tunes  in  the  war,  were  now  com 
pelled  to  resign,  in  order  to  get  a 
living.  The  men  were  encamped 
in  cold,  comfortless  huts,  with 
little  food  or  clothing.  Fre 
quently  there  was  only  one  suit  of  clothes  for  two  soldiers,  which 
they  would  take  turns  in  wearing.  Barefooted,  they  left  on  the 
frozen  ground  their  tracks  in  blood.  Few  had  blankets.  Num 
bers  were  compelled  to  sit  by  their  fires  all  night.  Their  fuel 
they  were  compelled  to  carry  on  their  backs  from  the  woods 
where  they  cut  it.  Straw  could  not  be  obtained.  Soldiers  who 
were  enfeebled  by  hunger  and  benumbed  by  cold,  slept  on  the 
bare  earth,  and  sickness  followed  such  exposure.  Within  three 
weeks,  two  thousand  men  were  rendered  unfit  for  duty.  With  no 
change  of  clothing,  no  suitable  food,  and  no  medicines,  death  was 
the  only  relief.  A  distinguished  foreign  officer  has  related  that 
at  this  time  he  was  "  walking  one  day  with  General  Washington 
among  the  huts,  when  he  heard  many  voices  echoing  through  the 
open  crevices  between  the  logs,  lNo  pay,  no  clothes,  no  provisions, 
no  rum  ! '  And  when  a  miserable  wretch  was  seen  flitting  from 
one  hut  to  another,  his  nakedness  was  only  covered  by  a  dirty 
blanket." 


248  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [ 


Jan., 
1778. 


Amid  this  terrible  suffering,  the  fires  of  patriotism  burned 
brightly.  Every  effort  was  made  to  induce  the  suffering  soldiers 
to  desert  and  join  the  British  army ;  but  few,  however,  proved 
false,  and  these  were  mainly  foreigners.  Washington  felt  that 
his  cause  was  just,  and  inspired  all  around  him  with  his  sublime 
faith.  One  day  during  the  winter,  while  Isaac  Potts,  at  whose 
house  Washington  was  quartered,  was  on  his  way  up  the  creek, 
he  heard  a  voice  of  prayer  in  the  thicket  near  by.  Softly  follow 
ing  its  direction,  he  soon  discovered  the  general  upon  his  knees, 
his  cheek  wet  with  tears.  Narrating  this  incident  to  his  wife,  he 
added  with  deep  emotion,  "  If  there  is  any  one  to  whom  the  Lord 
will  listen,  it  is  George  Washington,  and  under  such  a  com 
mander  our  independence  is  certain/' 

In  January,  a  raft  made  of  kegs  full  of  powder,  and  fitted  with 
machinery  to  explode  them  upon  striking  any  object,  was  floated 
down  the  river.  One  of  the  kegs  burst  opposite  Philadelphia. 
The  fleet  which  had  been  lying  in  the  stream  happened  to  have 
been  drawn  into  the  harbor  that  night,  and  so  escaped  injury. 
Great  alarm  was  caused  in  the  city  by  this  singular  device  of  the 
Yankees.  The  cannon  were  trained  upon  every  strange  object 
floating  on  the  water,  and  for  twenty-four  hours  thereafter  no 
innocent  chip  even  could  get  by  without  a  shot.  Judge  Hopkin- 
son  wrote  the  following  comic  ballad  upon  the  circumstance.  It 
was  set  to  the  tune  of  Yankee  Doodle  : 

THE   BATTLE   OF  THE   KEGS. 

"  Gallants  attend,  and  hear  a  friend 

Trill  forth  harmonious  ditty  ; 
Strange  things  I'll  tell,  which  late  befell 
In  Philadelphia  city. 

"  Twas  early  day,  as  poets  say, 

Just  when  the  sun  was  rising, 
A  soldier  stood  on  log  of  wood, 
And  saw  a  thing  surprising. 

"  As  in  amaze  he  stood  to  gaze, 

(The  truth  can't  be  denied,  sir), 
He  spied  a  score  of  kegs,  or  more, 
Come  floating  down  the  tide,  sir. 

"  A  sailor,  too,  in  jerkin  blue, 

The  strange  appearance  viewing, 
First  wiped  his  eyes,  in  great  surprise, 
Then  said,  '  Some  mischiefs  brewing. 


Jan., 
1778 


'.]  "  BATTLE    OF    THE    KEGS." 

"  '  These  kegs,  I'm  told,  the  rebels  hold, 

Packed  up  like  pickled  herring  ; 
And  they've  come  down  t'attack  the  town 
In  this  new  way  of  ferry' ng.' 

"  The  soldier  flew,  the  sailor  too, 

And,  scared  almost  to  death,  sir, 
Wore  out  their  shoes  to  spread  the  news, 
And  ran  till  out  of  breath,  sir. 

"  Now  up  and  down,  throughout  the  town, 

Most  frantic  scenes  were  acted, 
And  some  ran  here,  and  others  there, 
Like  men  almost  distracted. 


"  Now,  in  a  fright,  Howe  starts  upright, 

Awaked  by  such  a  clatter  ; 
He  rubs  both  eyes,  and  boldly  cries, 
*  For  God's  sake,  what's  the  matter? 

"At  his  bedside,  he  then  espied 

Sir  Erskine,  at  command,  sir  ; 
Upon  one  foot  he  had  one  boot, 
And  t'other  in  his  hand,  sir. 

"  '  Arise  !  arise  ! '  Sir  Erskine  cries  ; 

'  The  rebels — more's  the  pity — 
Without  a  boat,  are  all  afloat, 
And  ranged  before  the  city. 

"  '  The  motley  crew,  in  vessels  new, 

With  Satan  for  their  guide,  sir, 
Pack'd  up  in  bags,  or  wooden  kegs, 
Came  driving  down  the  tide,  sir. 

"  '  Therefore  prepare  for  bloody  war  ; 

These  kegs  must  all  be  routed  ; 
Or  surely  we  despised  shall  be, 
And  British  courage  doubted.' 

"  The  royal  band  now  ready  stand, 
All  ranged  in  dread  array,  sir, 
With  stomach  stout  to  see  it  out, 
And  make  a  bloody  day,  sir. 

"  The  cannons  roar  from  shore  to  shore, 

The  small-arms  loud  did  rattle  ; 
Since  war  began,  I'm  sure  no  man 
E'er  saw  so  strange  a  battle. 


249 


25O  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [^778.°' 

"  The  kegs,  'tis  said,  though  strongly  made 

Of  rebel  staves  and  hoops,  sir, 
Could  not  oppose  their  powerful  foes, 
The  conq'ring  British  troops,  sir. 

"  From  morn  to  night  these  men  of  might 

Display'd  amazing  courage, 
And  when  the  sun  was  fairly  down, 
Retired  to  sup  their  porridge. 

"  A  hundred  men,  with  each  a  pen, 

Or  more,  upon  my  word,  sir, 
It  is  most  true,  would  be  too  few, 
Their  valor  to  record,  sir. 

"  Such  feats  did  they  perform  that  day 

Against  those  wicked  kegs,  sir, 
That,  years  to  come,  if  they  get  home, 
They'll  make  their  boasts  and  brags,  sir." 

Captain  Henry  Lee,  afterward  famous  as  "  Light-horse  Harry," 
first  came  into  notice  for  his  daring  exploits  during  the  advance 
of  the  British  toward  Philadelphia.  He  was  the  son  of  the  "  Low 
land  beauty  "  who,  in  her  early  days,  touched  Washington's  heart, 
though  she  gave  her  own  to  another.  The  commander-in-chief 
had  a  peculiar  liking  for  this  dashing  young  officer,  and  in  the  fall 
of  1779  ordered  all  Lee's  letters  to  be  marked  "private,"  that  they 
might  come  directly  into  his  hands.  On  the  night  of  January 
2oth,  an  attempt  was  made  to  surprise  the  captain  in  his  quar 
ters  about  six  miles  from  Valley  Forge.  At  daylight,  he  was 
awakened  to  find  his  house  surrounded  by  two  hundred  British 
cavalry.  Securing  the  doors,  and  placing  his  companions,  seven 
in  all,  each  at  a  window,  he  maintained  such  a  steady  fire  that, 
after  a  contest  of  half  an  hour,  the  enemy  withdrew.  They  then 
tried  to  capture  his  horses  from  the  barn  adjoining.  Lee  there 
upon  dashed  out  with  his  men,  exclaiming,  "  Fire  away,  here 
comes  our  infantry  ;  we  shall  have  them  all !  "  The  British,  sup 
posing  help  was  at  hand,  fled  precipitately.  Lee's  men,  quickly 
mounting  their  horses,  pursued  their  late  besiegers  for  a  long 
distance.  On  the  recommendation  of  Washington,  the  gallant 
captain  received  the  rank  of  major,  and  was  authorized  to  raise 
an  independent  partisan  corps,  afterward  known  through  the  war 
as  "  Lee's  Legion." 

The  story  of  the  Revolution  is  incomplete  unless  a  peep  be 
taken  behind  the  scenes,  and  some  of  the  secret  but  unparal- 


Jan.,"! 
I778.J 


DEMORALIZATION    OF    THE    PEOPLE. 


251 


leled  difficulties  experienced  by  the  true  heroes  of  the  day  be 
thoroughly  understood.  Valley  Forge  was  only  a  part  of  the 
dark  back-ground  of  the  long  struggle  for  Independence.  It  is  a 
common  idea  that  ours  is  a  degenerate  age ;  that  1776  was  a  time 
of  honor  and  honesty,  of  sincerity  and  devotion.  To  think  this, 
is  to  undervalue  the  achievements  of  our  Revolutionary  sires,  as 
well  as  to  erect  a  false 
standard  with  which  to 
compare  the  present. 
Whoever  supposes  that 


IN  CAMl'  AT  VALLEY  FORGE. 


the    spirit    of    union 
and  of  sacrifice   was 
unanimous     among     even 
the  great  actors  in  the  drama 
of  Independence,  utterly  fails 
to  comprehend   the   greatest 
obstacles    to    the    successful 
prosecution  of  the  war,  and  the  ultimate  Union  of  the  States. 

The  war,  as  it  progressed,  seemed  to  demoralize  all  classes  in 
society.  The  pulpit,  the  press,  and  good  men,  sought  in  vain  to 
stem  the  tide  of  evil.  While  the  army  was  suffering  so  much  in 
the  cause  of  liberty,  contractors  became  rich,  and  monopolists 
hoarded  the  very  necessaries  of  life.  Trade  with  the  royal  troops 
was  opened  on  every  side.  Though  the  magazines  at  Valley  Forge 


252  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [1778. 

were  empty,  and  meat  was  often  not  seen  for  a  week  at  a  time, 
the  markets  in  Philadelphia  were  abundantly  supplied.  Washing 
ton,  having  received  authority  from  Congress  to  seize  provisions 
for  the  troops  and  issue  scrip  therefor,  ordered  the  farmers  within 
a  radius  of  seventy  miles  to  thresh  out  one-half  of  their  grain  by 
February  ist,  and  the  rest  by  March  ist,  under  penalty  of  having 
it  all  seized  as  straw.  The  inhabitants  refused,  and,  guns  in  hand, 
stood  guard  over  their  stacks  and  cattle,  even  burning  what  they 
could  not  sell,  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  famish 
ing  patriot  army.  Men  abandoned  useful  occupations  to  plunge 
into  stock -jobbing,  gambling,  and  other  disreputable  pursuits; 
counterfeited  the  public  securities  ;  forged  official  signatures ;  re 
fused  to  pay  their  honest  debts,  except  in  depreciated  paper- 
money  ;  and  fattened  upon  the  common  necessities.  Love  of 
country  was  declared  to  be  an  illusion.  There  were  times  when 
private  or  public  faith  appeared  to  be  the  exception.  Washing 
ton,  alarmed  at  this  enemy  in  the  rear  —  this  new  peril  which 
threatened  the  country  —  wrote  that  "  idleness,  dissipation  and 
extravagance  seem  to  have  laid  fast  hold  of  most ;  speculation, 
peculation,  and  an  insatiate  thirst  for  riches  have  got  the  better 
of  every  other  consideration  and  almost  every  order  of  men." 

At  first  the  masses  were  enthusiastic ;  but  as  the  contest  wore 
on,  the  slow  friction  of  the  struggle  became  irksome,  and,  in  many 
quarters,  apathy  was  almost  universal.  During  the  flight  across 
New  Jersey,  not  one  hundred  volunteers  from  that  State  rallied 
under  the  flag  of  their  only  defender.  The  Maryland  militia,  sent 
to  Washington's  aid  just  before  the  battle  of  Germantown,  lost 
half  its  number  by  desertion.  When  Pennsylvania  was  overrun 
by  the  British,  and  the  Federal  capital  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
there  were  only  twelve  hundred  Pennsylvania  militia  in  the 
army.  Recruiting  was  slow ;  very  few  enlistments  were  secured 
for  three  years,  or  during  the  war.  Sabine  says  "  that  the  price 
paid  for  a  single  recruit  was  sometimes  as  high  as  one  thousand 
dollars,  besides  the  bounty  offered  by  Congress  ;  and  that  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  dollars  in  specie  was  given  for  only  five  months 
service."  The  soldier  might  be  pardoned  for  deserting  the  cause 
of  a  country  that  would  neither  pay  him  nor  feed  him  ;  but  what 
should  be  thought  of  a  people  that,  before  the  war,  could  import 
one  and  a  half  million  dollars  worth  of  tea  annually,  besides 
other  luxuries,  and  yet  allow  the  men  who  were  fighting  for  its 
liberties  to  starve  and  freeze  in  this  hour  of  peril  ? 


1778.]  DEMORALIZATION    IN    THE    ARMY.  253 

Even  in  the  army  which  was  engaged  in  protecting  the  dearest 
rights  of  man,  all  were  not  patriots  nor  honest  men.  Whigs  were 
plundered  under  the  pretence  of  being  tories.  Parties  of  a  dozen 
or  twenty  men  at  a  time  returned  home,  or  took  refuge  in  the 
newer  settlements  of  the  country.  In  1781,  one  thousand  men 
perjured  themselves  to  escape  from  the  service,  taking  advantage 
of  an  error  in  the  date  of  their  enlistment.  Some  joined  the 
royalist  regiments,  and  became  spies,  guides,  and  informers. 
Bounty-jumpers  infested  the  ranks.  Drunkenness  and  theft  were 
by  no  means  uncommon.  A  foreigner  of  rank  dying  at  Washing 
ton's  quarters,  and  being  buried  with  his  jewels  and  costly  cloth 
ing,  a  guard  was  placed  over  his  grave  to  prevent  the  soldiers 
from  digging  up  his  body  for  plunder.  Nor  were  the  officers 
always  better  than  their  men.  There  were  those  who  used  for 
their  own  gratification,  money  designed  to  pay  the  troops  under 
their  command :  who  violated  their  furloughs,  and  grossly  neg 
lected  their  duty.  Courts-martial  were  frequent,  and  long  lists 
of  the  cashiered  were  from  time  to  time  forwarded  to  Congress. 
Washington  declared  that  the  officers  sent  him  from  one  State 
were  "not  fit  to  be  shoe-blacks/'  and  wrote  to  a  certain  governor 
that  the  officers  from  his  State  were  "  generally  from  the  lowest 
class,  and  led  their  men  into  every  kind  of  mischief."  Many  of 
the  surgeons,  too,  he  complained,  were  rascals,  receiving  bribes 
to  grant  discharges,  and  applying  to  their  private  use  the  luxuries 
designed  for  the  sick.  There  were  constant  feuds  among  the 
officers  for  rank  and  position.  "  I  am  wearied  to  death,"  wrote 
John  Adams  in  1777,  "  by  the  wrangles  between  military  officers, 
high  and  low.  They  quarrel  like  cats  and  dogs." 

Members  of  Congress  lost  heart.  Many  of  the  strong  men 
stayed  at  home  and  weaklings  took  their  place.  For  some  time 
only  twenty-one  members  were  present.  A  bitter  opposition  to 
Washington  was  developed,  and  while  the  demands  upon  him  as 
commander-in-chief  were  as  exacting  as  ever,  his  recommenda 
tions  and  well-known  opinions  were  openly  thwarted  or  quietly 
ignored.  Arnold  was  the  oldest  brigadier-general,  and,  in  the 
opinion  of  Washington,  there  was  "  no  more  active,  spirited,  or 
sensible  officer";  yet  he  was  passed  over  in  promotion.  Stark, 
than  whom  none  was  braver,  was  also  slighted,  and  he  retired  to 
his  plow,  and  remained  at  home,  until  he  came  to  Bennington  to 
show  how  a  victory  could  be  won  with  raw  militia.  Gates  was 
appointed  adjutant-general  without  consulting  Washington  as  to 


254  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [1778. 

whom  he  desired  for  chief  of  his  staff.  The  commissary  depart 
ment  was  reorganized  against  Washington's  expressed  wishes. 
Colonel  Trumbull,  an  efficient  commissary-general,  at  once  re 
signed.  Henceforth  the  bad  working  of  that  department  caused 
continual  delays  and  disasters.  Mifflin,  the  quartermaster- 
general,  was  disgracefully  unmindful  of  his  duties.  Washington 
never  could  get  a  stock  of  provisions  on  hand  for  any  movement 
that  he  contemplated.  Indeed,  it  is  said  that  during  the  dreary 
march  to  Valley  Forge,  when  the  shivering  troops  left  lines  of 
red  behind  them  from  their  bruised  and  bleeding  feet,  that 
"  hogsheads  of  shoes,  stockings,  and  clothing  were  lying  at  dif 
ferent  places  on  the  roads  and  in  the  woods,  perishing  for  want 
of  teams,  or  of  money  to  pay  the  teamsters." 

Officers  who  were  jealous  of  Washington  found  men  in  the 
national  council  to  listen  to  and  even  sympathize  with  them  in 
their  complaints.  At  first,  General  Charles  Lee  was  considered  a 
rival  of  Washington,  and  the  victory  which  others  achieved  for 
him  at  Charleston,  was  contrasted  with  the  disastrous  defeat  on 
Long  Island.  Then  Gates  was  brought  to  the  front,  and  Saratoga 
was  put  by  the  side  of  Brandywine  to  Washington's  disadvan 
tage.  Indeed,  Gates,  after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  did  not 
report  to  the  head  of  the  army,  as  courtesy  and  military  usage 
demanded,  but  direct  to  Congress,  Washington  only  receiving 
tidings  of  the  event  through  hearsay  and  unofficial  letters.  Had 
Gates  dispatched  his  army  at  once  to  Pennsylvania  after  the  sur 
render,  as  Washington  desired  and  earnestly  entreated,  Howe 
might  have  been  driven  from  Philadelphia,  and  the  same  fall, 
perhaps,  his  whole  force  captured,  and  Saratoga  re-enacted  at  the 
Quaker  city.  Yet  Congress,  influenced,  doubtless,  by  the  advice 
of  jealous  officials,  forbade  Washington  to  detach  any  troops  from 
the  northern  army  without  consulting  General  Gates  and  the 
governor  of  New  York.  It  was  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
and  by  finally  sending  his  favorite  aid,  Alexander  Hamilton,  with 
peremptory  orders  from  the  commander-in-chief,  that  he  secured 
reinforcements  either  from  Gates  or  from  Putnam. 

At  last  a  cabal  was  organized  to  displace  Washington  from  his 
post  and  elevate  Gates  in  his  stead.  Chief  in  this  movement  was 
General  Conway,  a  wily,  unprincipled  intriguer.  Pennsylvania 
sent  a  remonstrance  to  Congress  against  the  measures  of  Wash 
ington.  Members  from  Massachusetts  re-echoed  their  disappro 
bation.  While  the  patriot  army  was  marking  out  the  path  of 


1778.] 


INTRIGUES    AGAINST    WASHINGTON. 


255 


liberty  with  blood-stained  feet,  John  Adams  could  write  :  "  I  wish 
the  Continental  army  would  prove  that  anything  can  be  done. 
I  am  weary  with  so  much  insipidity."  Samuel  Adams,  who  was 
still  more  impatient,  declared :  "  I  have  always  been  so  very 
wrong-headed  as  not  to  be  over-well  pleased  with  what  is  called 
the  Fabian  war  in  America."  Benjamin  Rush,  in  a  similar  strain, 
affirmed  that  "  a  Gates,  a  Lee,  and  a  Conway  in  a  few  weeks 
could  render  the  army  an  irresistible  body  of  men." 

In  October,  1777,  a  board  of  war  was  created  to  have  the 
general  direction  of  military  affairs.  Gates  became  its  president. 
He  was  urged  to  hasten  on  and 
save  the  country.  Conway  was 
made  inspector-general,  and  his 
office  declared  independent  of 
the  commander -in -chief.  By 
the  advice  of  the  board,  an  ex 
pedition  to  Canada  was  planned, 
and,  in  order  to  detach  Lafayette 
from  Washington,  to  whom  he 
clung  with  a  chivalrous  devo 
tion,  he  was  appointed  to  the 
command.  With  the  quick  ap 
prehension  of  a  loving  heart,  he 
detected  the  animus  of  the  cabal. 
By  the  advice  of  Washington, 
however,  he  accepted  the  post. 
Proceeding  to  Yorktown,  he 
found  Gates  at  table,  and  was  at 
once  invited  to  join  the  repast. 
Toasts  were  given,  and  drunk  in 
full  glasses,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  day.  The  marquis 
noticed  a  significant  omission,  and  so  offered  as  a  sentiment, 
"  Our  commander-in-chief."  It  was  drunk  in  silence.  Washing 
ton  did  all  he  could  to  fit  out  the  expedition,  but  no  one  else 
aided,  and  Lafayette,  indignant  and  disgusted  at  the  failure  of 
those  who  had  promised  him  so  much,  returned  to  his  friend  and 
adviser. 

Washington  was  aware  of  these  intrigues  to  remove  him, 
but  in  perfect  equipoise  of  mind  and  temper,  with  a  patriotism 
that  no  disappointment  or  treachery  could  chill,  and  a  noble 
superiority  to  all  which  affected  only  his  personal  reputation,  he 


MARQUIS  DE  LAFAYETTE. 


256  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [,F7e7b£ 

wrote  to  Patrick  Henry  these  magnificent  words :  "  IF  THE  CAUSE 

IS    ADVANCED,    INDIFFERENT    IS    IT    TO    ME    WHERE   OR   IN    WHAT 

QUARTER  IT  HAPPENS."  Such  generosity  and  devotion  could  but 
triumph  at  last.  The  army  and  most  of  the  best  men  of  the 
country  implicitly  trusted  Washington.  Their  indignation 
toward  his  enemies  was  unbounded.  The  whole  movement 
finally  recoiled  on  the  heads  of  its  instigators.  Congress  began 
to  perceive  its  error.  The  cabal  lost  its  power.  Neither  Con- 
way  nor  Samuel  Adams  dared  to  show  himself  among  the  sol 
diers.  The  office  of  inspector  was  taken  from  the  former,  and 
given  to  Baron  Steuben. 

At  the  last,  however,  Conway  was  the  only  one  of  the  in 
triguers  magnanimous  enough  to  confess  his  fault.  General 
Cadwallader,  who  was  Washington's  devoted  friend,  was  so  in 
censed  at  his  attempt  to  injure  the  commander-in-chief  that  he 
challenged  him  to  personal  combat.  Conway,  being  wounded, 
mortally,  as  he  believed,  wrote  the  following  letter  to  General 
Washington :  "  Sir : — I  find  myself  just  able  to  hold  my  pen 
during  a  few  minutes,  and  take  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my 
sincere  grief  for  having  done,  written,  or  said  anything  disagree 
able  to  your  excellency.  My  career  will  soon  be  over  ;  therefore, 
justice  and  truth  prompt  me  to  declare  my  last  sentiments.  You 
are,  in  my  eyes,  the  great  and  good  man.  May  you  long  enjoy 
the  love,  esteem,  and  veneration  of  these  States,  whose  liberties 
you  have  asserted  by  your  virtues."  Washington,  too  great  to 
harbor  resentment,  said,  as  he  closed  the  epistle,  "  Poor  Conway  ! 
He  never  could  have  intended  much  wrong  ;  there  is  nothing  to 
forgive." 

The  particulars  of  this  duel,  as  related  in  Garden's  Anecdotes 
of  the  Revolution,  so  well  illustrate  the  manner  of  conducting 
those  affairs  that  they  appear  worthy  of  record.  They  show,  says 
the  narrator,  that  "  though  imperious  circumstances  may  compel 
men  of  nice  feeling  to  meet,  the  dictates  of  honor  may  be  satisfied 
without  the  smallest  deviation  from  the  most  rigid  rules  of  polite 
ness.  When  arrived  at  the  appointed  rendezvous,  General  Cad 
wallader  accompanied  by  General  Dickinson  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
General  Conway  by  Colonel  Morgan  of  Princeton,  it  was  agreed 
by  the  seconds  that  on  the  word  being  given,  the  principals 
might  fire  in  their  own  time,  and  at  discretion,  either  by  an  off 
hand  shot,  or  by  taking  a  deliberate  aim.  The  parties  having  de 
clared  themselves  ready,  the  word  was  given  to  proceed.  Gen- 


F,7785']  ARRIVAL    OF    BARON    STEUBEN.  257 

eral  Conway  immediately  raised  his  pistol  and  fired  with  great 
composure,  but  without  effect.  General  Cadwallader  was  about 
to  do  so,  when  a  sudden  gust  of  wind  occurring,  he  kept  his  pistol 
down  and  remained  tranquil.  '  Why  do  you  not  fire,  General 
Cadwallader?'  exclaimed  Conway.  'Because/  replied  General 
Cadwallader, '  we  came  not  here  to  trifle.  Let  the  gale  pass  and 
I  shall  act  my  part.'  '  You  shall  have  a  fair  chance  of  performing 
it  well,'  rejoined  Conway,  and  immediately  presented  a  full  front. 
General  Cadwallader  fired,  and  his  ball  entering  the  mouth  of  his 
antagonist,  he  fell  directly  forward  on  his  face.  Colonel  Morgan, 
running  to  his  assistance,  found  the  blood  spouting  from  behind 
his  neck,  and  lifting  up  the  club  of  his  hair,  saw  the  ball  drop  from 
it.  It  had  passed  through  his  head,  greatly  to  the  derangement 
of  his  tongue  and  teeth,  but  did  not  inflict  a  mortal  wound.  As 
soon  as  the  blood  was  sufficiently  washed  away  to  allow  him 
to  speak,  General  Conway,  turning  to  his  opponent,  said,  good- 
humoredly,  *  You  fire,  general,  with  much  deliberation,  and  cer 
tainly  with  a  great  deal  of  effect.'  The  parties  then  retired  free 
from  all  resentment." 

Early  in  February,  there  arrived  in  camp  at  Valley  Forge, 
Baron  Steuben,  a  veteran  of  the  Seven  Years  War  under  Fred 
erick  the  Great.  His  advent  was  hailed  with  enthusiasm.  The 
raw  militia  troops  presented  a  sorry  appearance  to  this  able  dis 
ciplinarian,  accustomed  to  the  exact  order  of  the  Prussian  army ; 
but  he  had  sense  to  see  what  was  needed,  and  to  adapt  his  methods 
to  the  peculiar  condition  of  the  country.  Soon  the  whole  army 
was  under  drill,  Steuben  personally  supervising  every  detail,  even 
to  the  examination  of  each  soldier's  musket  and  accoutrements. 
His  ignorance  of  the  language  was  a  sore  worry  and  embarrass 
ment  to  him,  especially  when  he  sought  to  explain  any  difficult 
manoeuvre  to  his  raw  learners.  "  The  men  blundered  in  their 
exercise ;  the  baron  blundered  in  his  English ;  his  French  and 
German  were  of  no  avail ;  he  lost  his  temper,  which  was  rather 
warm  ;  swore  in  all  three  languages  at  once,  which  made  the 
matter  worse,"  and  was  in  an  agony  of  despair  until  a  New  York 
officer,  who  spoke  French,  stepped  forward  and  offered  his  ser 
vices  as  interpreter.  "  Had  I  seen  an  angel  from  heaven,"  records 
the  relieved  Prussian,  "  I  could  not  have  been  more  rejoiced." 
Under  his  skillful  discipline,  the  army,  officers  as  well  as  men, 
soon  showed  marked  signs  of  improvement. 

Baron  Steuben  had  brought  over  with  him  a  superior  French 


258  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  l^lij's.' 

cook  to  serve  in  the  camp.  This  personage  was  horrified  to  find 
no  utensils  or  conveniences  for  preparing  the  choice  dishes  on 
which  he  longed  to  show  his  skill.  He  applied  to  one  of  the  men 
for  information.  "  We  cook  our  meat,"  was  the  reply,  "  by  hang 
ing  it  up  by  a  string,  and  turning  it  before  a  good  fire  till  suffi 
ciently  roasted."  The  poor  cook,  appalled  at  such  a  state  of 
affairs,  received  the  daily  rations  of  beef  and  bread  with  the  hope 
less  air  of  a  martyr.  He  loved  his  master,  and,  with  many  shrugs 
and  sighs  and  some  oaths,  tried  to  accommodate  himself  to  the 
trying  situation ;  but  at  last  his  patience  was  exhausted,  and  he 
sought  the  baron's  presence.  "  Under  happier  circumstances, 
mon  General"  he  said,  "it  would  be  my  ambition  to  serve  you; 
but  here  I  have  no  chance  to  show  my  talents,  and  my  honor 
obliges  me  to  spare  you  my  expense,  since  your  wagoner  is  just  as 
able  to  turn  the  string  as  I  am"  Baron  Steuben  afterward  told 
this  story  with  great  effect  to  a  company  which  expressed  some 
surprise  at  the  resignation  of  Robert  Morris  as  government  finan 
cier.  "  Believe  me,  gentlemen,"  said  the  baron,  "  the  treasury  of 
America  is  just  as  empty  as  was  my  kitchen  at  Valley  Forge ;  and 
Mr.  Morris  wisely  retires,  thinking  it  of  very  little  consequence  who 
turns  the  string" 

On  March  2d,  General  Greene  was  appointed  Quartermaster- 
General.  He  accepted  the  position  for  a  year  without  compensa 
tion.  His  efficient  measures  soon  changed  the  condition  of  affairs. 
Provisions  began  to  appear  in  camp.  Even  "  Grim-visaged  War," 
when  well  fed,  wore  a  smile.  Ladies,  too,  lent  their  charming 
presence.  The  little  parlor  of  Mrs.  Greene,  who  spoke  French, 
quickly  became  a  favorite  resort  for  foreign  officers,  where  her 
wit  and  graceful  tact  made  her  a  reigning  queen.  Mrs.  Washing 
ton  also  came  to  spend  the  winter,  and  brighten  the  anxious  life 
of  her  husband.  At  the  little  soirees  "there  was  tea  or  coffee, 
and  pleasant  conversation  always,  and  music  often;  no -one  who 
had  a  good  voice  being  allowed  to  refuse  a  song."  The  courtly 
Morris  and  the  brilliant  Reed  were  there  ;  and  Charles  Carroll, 
who  was  to  outlive  them  nearly  all;  and  Knox,  whom  Greene 
loved  as  a  brother ;  the  loved  and  trusted  Lafayette ;  the  gener 
ous  Steuben;  and  the  stately  De  Kalb,  who,  as  the  soldier  of 
Louis  XV.,  had  served  against  Steuben  and  his  royal  master 
Frederick,  in  the  Seven  Years  War ;  the  dignified  Sullivan  and 
the  gallant  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne;  and  a  host  of  others  who 
forgot  for  a  while  the  horrors  and  hardships  of  a  soldier's  life  in 


May  2-2O.-1 
1778.      J 


ALLIANCE    WITH    FRANCE. 


259 


LOUIS  XVI.,   MARIE  ANTOINETTE,  AND 
THE   DAUPHIN. 


the  delightful  intercourse  of  friendship.  Gates  was  transferred  to 
the  northern  department  again,  and  made  subject  to  Washing 
ton's  orders. 

The  capture  of  Burgoyne  giving  confidence  to  France,  and  the 
queen,  Marie  Antoinette,  being  our  hearty  ally,  Louis  XVI.  was 
finally  persuaded  to  acknowledge  the 
independence  of  the  United  States 
and  to  make  common  cause  with  the 
Americans.  May  2d,  a  messenger  ar 
rived  in  this  country  with  the  glad 
news.  Four  days  after,  there  was  a 
fete  at  Valley  Forge,  and  a  salute  was 
fired  in  honor  of  Louis  XVI.  The 
disaster  to  Burgoyne,  and  the  French 
Alliance,  produced  a  great  effect  in 
England.  There  was  a  loud  cry  to 
put  an  end  to  the  useless  contest. 
The  minority  in  parliament,  op 
posed  to  the  government,  again  raised  its  warning1  voice.  Fox 
wished  to  have  the  colonies  declared  free  at  once.  Lord  North's 

"  Conciliatory  Bills,"  as  they  were 
termed,  were  readily  passed. 
These  authorized  the  appoint 
ment  of  commissioners  to  treat 
for  peace  with  the  government  of 
the  United  Colonies.  They  could 
not  grant  independence,  however, 
and  that  alone  would  satisfy  the 

MEDAL   COMMEMORATING    THE   ALLIANCE    BETWEEN 

FRANCE  AND  THE  UNITED  STATES.  "  rebels  ;  and  so  nothing  came 

of  the  attempt  at  a  reconciliation. 

General  Howe's  military  career  in  the  United  States  had  not 
proved  a  success.  He  now  resigned.  The  close  of  his  inglorious 
residence  in  Philadelphia  was  celebrated  by  a  famous  pageant  or 
mischianza,  a  sort  of  medley  of  tournament  and  regatta.  Its 
splendor  and  mock  heroics  were  the  theme  of  merriment  and 
wonder  in  the  staid  Quaker  city  for  many  a  day. 

Just  after  this  festival,  Howe  received  news  that  Lafayette, 
with  a  large  force,  had  taken  post  at  Barren  Hills,  twelve  miles 
nearer  Philadelphia  than  Valley  Forge,  to  watch  the  British  army 
more  closely.  To  cut  off  this  detachment  would  shed  a  parting 
gleam  of  glory  over  his  American  career.  He  sent  out  General 


260  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [Jui7788' 

Grant  by  night  with  a  picked  body  of  men,  while  he  followed 
with  the  main  force.  Lafayette  was  nearly  taken  ;  but,  by  a  skill 
ful  manoeuvre,  he  seized  the  only  ford  not  guarded  by  the  enemy, 
made  a  feint  of  attacking  Grant,  and  while  that  general  was  get 
ting  ready  for  battle,  the  brave  young  Frenchman  was  on  his  way 
to  Washington.  Howe  came  back  weary  and  disappointed  from 
his  bootless  expedition. 

Clinton,  who  succeeded  Howe,  received  orders  to  evacuate 
Philadelphia  and  to  concentrate  his  forces  at  New  York.  As  the 
commissioners,  who  had  been  sent  over,  as  we  have  seen,  to 
restore  the  old  condition  of  affairs,  landed  in  Philadelphia,  they 
found  the  flight  already  begun.  Sad  was  the  fate  of  the  aban 
doned  tories.  "  The  winter's  revelry  was  over ;  honors  and 
offices  turned  suddenly  to  bitterness  and  ashes,  and  papers  of 
protection  were  only  a  peril."  Three  thousand  houseless  fugi 
tives,  carrying  all  they  could  save  from  the  wreck,  followed  the 
army.  Washington  rapidly  pursued  the  British  across  New 
Jersey.  General  Charles  Lee  held  the  advance.  He  had  orders 
to  attack  the  enemy  ;  instead,  he  grossly  neglected  his  duty,  even 
if  he  did  not  treacherously  lead  his  troops  into  peril. 

It  was  a  hot,  sultry  Sunday  morning,  June  28th.  Washington, 
sitting  on  his  horse  near  the  Freehold  meeting-house,  west  of 
Monmouth,  was  planning  for  the  battle  now  just  beginning,  as 
he  thought  from  the  few  dropping  shots  in  the  distance.  Sud 
denly  he  was  startled  by  the  news  that  the  Americans  were 
falling  back.  Spurring  forward,  he  found  the  advance-guard  in 
full  flight  before  an  overwhelming  force.  Riding  up  to  Lee,  he 
demanded,  "  Whence  arises  this  disorder  and  confusion  ?  "  Lee 
could  only  stammer  "  Sir — sir."  Not  a  minute  could  be  lost. 
The  genius  of  Washington  never  shone  out  more  fully  than  now. 
Rallying  the  fugitives  and  judiciously  posting  a  battery,  he 
checked  the  pursuit  upon  a  narrow  causeway  traversing  a  deep 
morass.  A  new  line  of  battle  was  formed  back  of  the  swamp, 
General  Stirling  commanding  the  left,  Greene  the  right,  and 
Washington  the  centre.  Wayne  was  posted  in  advance,  under 
the  protection  of  an  orchard  and  a  battery  on  Comb's  Hill.  The 
British  attacking  the  left  and  right  were  several  times  repulsed. 
Finally  Monckton  advanced  upon  Wayne  at  the  head  of  the 
English  grenadiers.  So  perfect  was  their  discipline  and  so  accu 
rately  did  they  march,  that  it  is  said  that  a  single  ball  striking  in 
line  with  a  platoon  disarmed  every  man.  As  they  came  close  to 


June  28,"] 
1778.    J 


BATTLE    OF    MONMOUTH. 


26l 


the  American  position,  their  leader  waved  his  sword  for  the 
charge.  Wayne  at  the  same  moment  gave  the  order  to  fire.  Every 
British  officer  fell.  The  men  fought  desperately  over  Monckton's 
body ;  but  the  whole  line  finally  gave  Avay,  and  the  patriots  took 
possession  of  the  hotly-contested  field.  Washington  was  prepar 
ing  in  turn  to  attack  the  enemy,  when  night  closed  the  struggle. 
Under  cover  of  the  darkness,  Clinton  withdrew  his  men.  The 
American  loss  was  about  two  hundred  and  thirty  ;  the  English 


MOLLY   PITCHER  AT  THE   BATTLE  OF  MONMOUTH. 


lost  over  four  hundred,  and  eight  hundred  more  deserted  their 
colors  before  they  reached  New  York.  Many  of  the  troops  on 
both  sides,  it  is  said,  fell  from  the  intense  heat  (ninety-six  degrees 
in  the  shade)  without  a  wound. 

During  the  day  an  artillery  man  was  shot  at  his  post.  His 
wife,  Mary  Pitcher— a  "  red-haired,  freckled-faced  young  Irish 
woman,"  who  was  already  distinguished  for  having  fired  the  last 
gun  at  Fort  Clinton— while  bringing  water  to  her  husband  from  a 
spring,  saw  him  fall  and  heard  the  commander  order  the  piece  to 
be  removed  from  the  field.  Instantly  dropping  the  pail,  she 
hastened  to  the  cannon,  seized  the  rammer,  and  with  great  skill 
and  courage  performed  her  husband's  duty.  The  soldiers  gave 
her  the  nickname  of  Captain  Molly.  On  the  day  after  the  battle, 
she  was  presented  to  Washington,  and  received  a  sergeant's  com- 


262  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [J|7788' 

mission  with  half-pay  through  life.  Her  bravery  made  her  a 
great  favorite  among  the  French  officers,  and  she  would  some 
times  pass  along  the  lines  holding  out  her  cocked-hat,  which  they 
would  nearly  fill  with  crown  pieces. 

Lee,  after  Washington's  rebuke,  did  nothing  except  to  sit  idly 
in  the  rear  and  declaim  upon  the  madness  of  the  attempt  to  fight 
the  enemy.  The  next  day  he  wrote  to  the  general  demanding 
an  apology.  Washington  having  replied  in  a  dignified  manner, 
Lee  returned  a  most  insulting  letter,  in  which  he  grandiloquently 
expressed  a  hope  that  "  temporary  power  of  office  and  the  tinsel 
dignity  attending  it  would  not  be  able,  by  the  mists  they  could 
raise,  to  obfuscate  the  bright  rays  of  truth."  He  was  court-mar- 
tialled  and  suspended  for  a  year.  Later,  for  obtaining  money 
from  British  officers,  and  for  an  insulting  letter  to  Congress,  he 
was  dismissed  from  the  service. 

Washington  moved  his  army  to  the  North  River.  In  August, 
he  thus  wrote  from  White  Plains :  "  After  two  years  manoeuvring 
and  the  strangest  vicissitudes,  both  armies  are  brought  back  to 
the  very  point  they  set  out  from,  and  the  offending  party  at  the 
beginning  is  now  reduced  to  the  use  of  the  spade  and  pickaxe  for 
defence.  The  hand  of  Providence  has  been  so  conspicuous  in  all 
this,  that  he  must  be  worse  than  an  infidel  that  lacks  faith,  and 
more  than  wicked  that  has  not  gratitude  enough  to  acknowledge 
his  obligations." 

Congress  now  returned  to  Philadelphia.  On  the  I5th  of 
November,  1777,  it  had  agreed  upon  articles  of  confederation  for 
the  closer  union  of  the  several  States  and  the  more  perfect  har 
mony  of  their  action.  These  had  been  accepted  by  eight  of  the 
States.  The  others  were  now  called  upon  to  "  conclude  the 
glorious  compact."  All  agreed  except  Maryland,  which  refused 
on  the  plea  that  the  public  lands  northwest  of  the  Ohio  should  be 
the  common  property  of  the  States.  So  the  subject  was  post 
poned,  and  the  general  government  dragged  along  its  feeble  exist 
ence,  having,  indeed,  the  right  to  advise  and  appoint,  but  being 
destitute  of  any  power  to  demand  or  enforce.  It  was  the  era  of 
State  rights. 

The  French  fleet  under  Count  d'Estaing  having  arrived  off 
the  coast,  a  combined  land  and  naval  expedition  was  planned  to 
recover  Rhode  Island.  Sullivan  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
troops.  Washington  spared  two  brigades  from  his  weakened 
ranks.  New  England  in  twenty  days  increased  his  forces  to  ten 


•J^e1;]  MASSACRE    AT    WYOMING.  263 

thousand  men.  On  the  29th  of  July,  the  French  entered  Narra- 
gansett  Bay.  Some  days  after,  Howe  arrived  off  the  harbor  with 
the  English  fleet.  D'Estaing  went  out  to  meet  him.  A  terrible 
storm  came  on,  which  so  shattered  both  fleets  that  they  were 
compelled  to  put  back  for  repairs — the  English  to  New  York  and 
the  French  to  Boston.  General  Sullivan,  though  deserted,  was 
loath  to  leave.  Just  as  he  began  his  retreat,  the  English  at 
tempted  to  cut  off  his  right  wing.  Greene,  by  a  brilliant  attack, 
drove  back  the  enemy,  and  secured  the  escape  of  the  army  just 
in  time  to  avoid  Clinton,  who  came  up  from  New  York  with  rein 
forcements  for  the  British.  The  French  gave  no  further  aid  dur 
ing  the  year. 

The  beautiful  Valley  of  Wyoming,  famed  in  history  and  song, 
was  settled  mainly  from  Connecticut.  The  charter  of  that 
colony  was  older  than  that  of  Pennsylvania,  and  gave  it  a  strip 
of  land  extending  from  sea  to  sea.  Differences  naturally  arose 
with  the  Pennsylvania  government.  These  were  finally  settled 
by  an  appeal  to  the  king,  who  decided  in  favor  of  Connecticut. 
The  colony  was  therefore  created  as  the  town  of  Westmoreland, 
and  attached  to  Litchfield  county.  These  local  disputes  faded 
out  only  in  the  more  absorbing  topics  of  the  Revolution.  This 
valley,  smiling  in  peace  and  plenty,  now  lay  open  to  attack  from 
the  Six  Nations,  who  bitterly  remembered  the  slaughter  of  their 
braves  at  Oriskany  and  panted  for  revenge.  The  able-bodied 
men  were  in  the  Continental  regiments,  and  though  they  urged 
the  defenceless  condition  of  their  wives  and  children,  Congress 
took  little  or  no  action  in  their  behalf.  The  women  and  the  old 
men  plowed,  sowed,  reaped,  and  made  gunpowder  for  the  little 
garrison  in  their  forts,  obtaining  the  nitre  by  leaching  the  soil 
under  the  floors  of  their  houses. 

Early  in  the  summer  a  force  of  five  or  six  hundred  men, 
consisting  of  Butler's  Rangers,  Johnson's  Royal  Greens,  and  a 
body  of  Indians,  principally  Senecas,  under  a  celebrated  chief 
named  Giengwatah,  or  The-one-who-goes-in-the-smoke,  dropped 
down  the  Chemung  and  Susquehanna  Rivers  in  canoes,  and  on  July 
ist  appeared  in  the  Wyoming  Valley.  All  was  dismay.  Those  who 
could,  fled  to  their  forts.  Two  of  their  strongholds  were  quickly 
captured.  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler  of  the  Continental  army,  who 
happened  to  be  at  home,  took  command  of  the  forlorn  hope  of 
three  hundred  soldiers — old  men  and  boys — all  that  could  be 
mustered  for  the  defence  of  their  homes.  With  these  he  marched 


264  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  L\^8.' 

out  to  meet  the  enemy.  He  found  them  near  Wintermoot's 
Fort,  near  the  site  of  the  present  village  of  Troy,  ready  to  meet 
him.  Outnumbered  from  the  first,  the  Americans  could  have 
little  hope.  They  held  their  ground  bravely,  however,  for  half 
an  hour,  when,  their  left  being  outflanked  by  an  Indian  ambush, 
Colonel  Denison,  in  command  at  that  point,  gave  the  order  to  fall 
back.  He  was  misunderstood,  and  the  fatal  word  "  retreat "  was 
passed  down  the  lines.  The  Indians  sprang  from  their  coverts, 
and  a  terrible  massacre  ensued.  Few  of  the  patriots  escaped. 
Some  were  slain  on  the  banks  of  the  river;  some  were  toma 
hawked  among  the  bushes  ;  some  fled  to  an  island  and  were  hunted 
to  death.  The  Senecas  took  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  scalps. 
No  mercy  was  shown.  One  tory  brutally  murdered  his  own 
brother  while  crying  for  quarter.  Lieutenant  Shoemaker,  "  whom 
to  know  was  to  love,"  was  treacherously  tomahawked  by  Win- 
decker,  a  man  who  had  often  received  his  generous  bounty. 

That  night,  tories  and  Indians  held  High  carnival.  Captain 
Bidlack  was  thrown  on  the  burning  embers  of  the  fort  and 
held  down  with  pitchforks  till  he  expired.  Sixteen  prisoners 
were  arranged  around  a  large  stone,  still  known  as  Queen 
Esther's  rock.  The  savages  held  them  while  a  Seneca  half- 
breed  by  that  name  walked  slowly  round  the  circle,  singing  a 
death-song  and  striking  them  one  by  one,  alternately  with  her 
hatchet  and  mallet.  Two  of  the  captives,  breaking  away,  escaped 
to  the  bushes  under  a  shower  of  balls.  The  next  day,  the  forts 
surrendered.  Though  lives  were  spared  thereafter,  robbery  and 
arson  ran  riot.  Butler  could  not  restrain  his  savage  allies.  The 
inhabitants  fled  from  the  scene  of  terror.  The  swamp  through 
which  they  made  their  way  is  remembered  to  this  day  as  the 
Shades  of  Death.  Children  were  born  and  buried  in  this  terrible 
flight.  Many  were  lost  in  the  wilderness  and  perished  miserably. 
The  fainting  survivors  straggled  into  the  settlements  on  the  other 
side  of  the  mountains,  famine-stricken  and  desolate.  Meantime 
the  savages  pillaged  and  burned  their  deserted  houses.  Decked 
in  their  booty,  they  at  last  withdrew.  "  The  appearance  of  the 
retiring  enemy,"  says  Lossing,  "  was  extremely  ludicrous,  aside 
from  the  melancholy  savagism  that  was  presented.  Many 
squaws  accompanied  the  invaders,  and  these  brought  up  the  rear. 
Some  had  belts  around  their  waists,  made  of  scalps  stretched 
on  small  hoops ;  some  had  on  from  four  to  six  dresses  of  chintz 
or  silk,  one  over  the  other ;  and  others,  mounted  on  stolen  horses, 


Se|P778-9.n"]  OPERATIONS    IN    THE    WEST.  265 

and  seated  '  not  sidewise,  but  otherwise/  had  on  their  heads  four 
or  five  bonnets,  one  within  another." 

Clinton,  after  his  bootless  expedition  to  Newport,  returned  to 
New  York,  detaching,  however,  Grey,  of  Paoli  massacre  mem 
ory,  to  ravage  the  New  England  coast.  New  Bedford,  Fair 
Haven,  and  Martha's  Vineyard  were  laid  waste.  In  September, 
Cormvallis  led  a  foray  into  New  Jersey,  during  which  "  No-flint 
Grey  "  surprised  Baylor's  light-horse  while  they  were  quietly 
resting  in  some  barns  in  Old  Tappan.  Cries  for  mercy  fell  on 
deaf  ears.  Eleven  of  the  dragoons  were  butchered,  and  twenty- 
five  desperately  mangled  by  bayonet  thrusts,  some  receiving  as 
many  as  sixteen  wounds.  At  the  same  time,  Captain  Ferguson 
emulated  his  rival  in  the  bayonet  exercise  by  destroying  the  ship 
ping  in  Little  Egg  Harbor,  and  thence  scouring  the  adjacent 
country,  burning  the  houses  of  those  who  were  pointed  out  as 
patriots  by  the  tories  who  accompanied  the  expedition.  Count 
Pulaski  had  been  sent  out  with  his  legion  to  check  these  preda 
tory  incursions.  Ferguson,  going  up  the  river  in  boats  during 
the  night  of  the  i5th  of  October,  noiselessly  surrounded  the 
house  in  which  Pulaski's  infantry  was  quartered.  "  It  being  a 
night  attack,"  wrote  the  captain  afterward  in  his  report,  "  little 
quarter  could  be  given,  so  there  were  only  five  prisoners." 

The  western  part  of  Virginia  and  Kentucky  would  have  suf 
fered  equally  Avith  Wyoming  Valley  had  it  not  been  for  the  energy 
and  vigilance  of  Colonel  Clark.  Hamilton,  the  British  general  at 
Detroit,  was  busy  in  organizing  parties  of  savages  for  forays  upon 
the  defenceless  frontier  settlement.  He  offered  rewards  for  scalps, 
not  for  prisoners,  and  was  known  as  the  "  hair-buying  general." 
Clark,  by  a  bold  dash,  seized  Kaskaskia,  and  the  county  of  Illinois 
became  a  part  of  Virginia.  Hamilton,  thereupon  invading  the 
country,  summoned  the  post  of  Vincennes  to  surrender.  Captain 
Helm  had  but  one  man  as  garrison,  but  maintained  a  bold  front, 
and  standing  with  lighted  match  over  a  cannon,  he  deceived  the 
enemy  and  secured  the  honors  of  war.  Hamilton  was  now  more 
active  than  ever  in  preparing  for  bloody  work.  The  ensuing  win 
ter,  Clark,  whose  situation  looked  desperate,  finding  that  Hamil 
ton  had  sent  off  most  of  his  men  on  predatory  excursions,  sud 
denly  set  out  in  January  with  one  hundred  and  thirty  bold  men 
to  recapture  Vincennes.  The  river  was  high,  and  in  crossing  the 
"drowned  lands"  of  the  Wabash  they  had  to  wade  for  miles  with 
the  icy  water  breast  high.  But  he  resolutely  kept  on,  and  laid 


266  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [ 


Nov.  IO, 
1778. 


siege  to  the  fort,  which,  with  its  garrison  and  governor,  fell  into 
his  hands. 

The  loth  of  November  saw  the  terrible  scenes  of  Wyoming 
repeated  in  Cherry  Valley,  New  York.  A  body  of  tories,  regulars 
and  Indians,  under  Walter  Butler,  son  of  John  Butler,  and  Brandt, 
the  Mohawk  chief,  crept  into  this  settlement  under  cover  of  the 
early  morning  mist.  The  fort,  garrisoned  by  Continental  troops, 
was  too  strong  to  be  carried,  but  over  thirty  of  the  inhabitants — 
men,  women  and  children — were  murdered,  and  all  the  houses 
fired.  Brandt  showed  mercy  at  times,  but  the  tories,  "  more 
savage  than  the  savages,"  knew  no  pity.  Mr.  Wells  was  cut 
down  while  at  prayer.  A  mother  and  her  innocent  babe  were 
slain  in  bed  together.  After  the  marauders  had  gone  away  with 
their  booty,  the  survivors  timidly  stole  back  to  find  the  mangled 
bodies  of  fathers,  mothers,  wives,  husbands  and  children  amid  the 
burning  timbers  of  their  homes. 

Brandt  afterward  pushed  his  incursions  into  Orange  county. 
Here,  we  are  told,  one  day  the  savages  came  to  a  school-house 
which  was  filled  .with  young  children.  They  took  the  school 
master  into  the  woods  and  killed  him.  They  then  clove  the  skulls 
of  several  of  the  boys  with  their  tomahawks ;  but  the  little  girls, 
who  stood  looking  on  horror-struck,  and  waiting  for  instant 
death,  were  spared.  A  tall  savage — it  was  Brandt — dashed  a 
mark  of  black  paint  upon  their  aprons,  and  when  the  other  sav 
ages  saw  it  they  left  them  unharmed.  Swift  as  an  inspiration,  the 
little  girls  resolved  to  save  their  brothers.  They  flung  over  them 
their  aprons,  and  when  the  next  Indians  passed  by,  they  were 
spared  for  the  mark  they  bore. 

The  Six  Nations  had  not  taken  the  field  until  1777  at  the 
battle  of  Oriskany.  Their  determination  to  bear  arms  against 
the  colonists,  with  whom  they  had  fought  so  bravely  during  the 
French  and  Indian  war,  was  due  to  the  influence  of  the  Johnsons. 
Sir  William  had  been  knighted  for  the  victory  of  Lake  George. 
After  the  war,  he  received  a  tract  of  one  hundred  thousand  acres 
north  of  the  Mohawk,  long  known  as  "  Kingsland."  In  1764,  he 
built  Johnson  Hall,  near  Johnstown,  about  twenty-five  miles  west 
of  Schenectady. 

Here  he  lived  with  the  splendor  of  an  old  feudal  baron,  and 
dispensed  a  lavish  hospitality.  His  influence  over  the  Indians 
was  almost  unbounded.  Many  anecdotes  are  told  of  his  shrewd 
ness  in  dealing  with  them.  Allen  relates  that  on  his  receiving 


1775-1778.]      THE  JOHNSONS   AND   THE   SIX   NATIONS.  267 


from  England  some  fine  laced  clothes,  the  Mohawk  chief, 
drick,  desiring  to  equal  the  baronet  in  the  splendor  of  his  apparel, 
with  a  demure  face  pretended  to  have  dreamed  that  Sir  William 
had  presented  him  with  a  suit  of  the  decorated  garments.  As  the 
solemn  hint  could  not  be  mistaken  or  avoided,  the  Indian  mon 
arch  was  gratified,  and  went  away  highly  pleased  with  the  success 
of  his  device.  But,  alas  for  Hendrick's  short-sighted  sagacity,  in 
a  few  days,  Sir  William,  in  turn,  had  a  dream,  to  the  effect  that 
the  chief  had  given  him  several  thousand  acres  of  land.  "  The 
land  is  yours,"  said  Hendrick  ;  "but  now,  Sir  William,  I  never 
dream  with  you  again  ;  you  dream  too  hard  for  me." 

When  the  difficulties  arose  with  England,  the  contest  in  Sir 
William's  mind  between  his  love  of  liberty  and  his  loyalty  to  the 
king  brought  on  a  fit  of  apoplexy,  of  which  he  died.  His  son  and 
heir,  Sir  John  Johnson,  and  his  sons-in-law,  Colonel  Guy  Johnson 
and  Colonel  Claus,  felt  no  reluctance  in  supporting  the  royal 
cause.  They  at  first  fortified  their  stone  mansions  in  the  Mohawk 
Valley,  armed  their  Scotch  tenants,  and,  with  their  adherents,  the 
Butlers  of  Tryon  county,  and  Brandt,  the  great  Mohawk  sachem, 
prepared  for  defence.  Finally  they  all  fled  to  Canada.  The  Six 
Nations  declared  for  the  crown.  Sir  John  raised  a  body  of  tories, 
known  as  the  Royal  Greens.  Their  names  were  henceforth  asso 
ciated  with  deeds  of  crime  and  bloodshed,  in  which  the  tories  far 
surpassed  their  Indian  allies.  Wyoming  and  Cherry  Valleys 
were  only  illustrations  on  a  large  scale  of  minor  massacres  which 
kept  in  continued  dread  the  entire  frontier  to  the  very  suburbs 
of  Albany. 

The  peace  commissioners  returning  to  England  after  their 
unsuccessful  mission  to  the  United  States,  were  fierce  in  their 
denunciations.  "  No  quarter,"  exclaimed  one  of  their  number, 
"  ought  to  be  shown  to  their  Congress.  If  the  infernals  could  be 
let  loose  on  them,  I  should  approve  the  measure."  The  govern 
ment  did  not  have  it  all  its  own  way,  however.  The  Bishop  of 
Peterborough  called  attention  to  the  significant  fact  that  in  the 
army-appropriation  was  an  item  for  "  scalping-knives  "  ;  and  many 
followed  him  denouncing  the  use  of  such  instruments  of  war. 

The  English,  discouraged  by  their  repeated  failures  in  the 
Eastern  and  Middle  States,  now  decided  to  transfer  their  forces  to 
the  South.  Henceforth,  the  Revolutionary  struggle  was  mainly 
confined  to  that  field.  In  combination  with  various  minor  move 
ments,  three  thousand  men,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Campbell, 


268  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [D?778.9> 

were  sent  from  New  York,  and  on  December  23d  appeared  off 
Tybee  Island.  Soon  after,  the  fleet  passed  the  bar  and  the  troops 
landed  near  Five-fathom  Hole.  General  Howe,  with  his  little 
army  of  militia,  not  a  third  as  large  as  that  of  the  enemy,  resolved 
to  fight  for  the  defence  of  Savannah.  He  accordingly  took  a 
strong  position  at  the  head  of  a  causeway,  with  a  swamp  on  one 
side  and  rice-fields  on  the  other.  The  British,  having  driven  his 
advance  from  Brewton's  Hill,  manoeuvred  as  if  to  assault  in  front. 
Meanwhile,  guided  by  a  negro  named  Quamino  Dolly,  Sir  James 
Baird  and  a  party  passed  through  a  by-path  in  the  swamp  and 
turned  the  American  position.  The  patriots,  attacked  at  once  in 
front  and  rear,  soon  gave  way  in  despair.  Some  were  drowned 
in  the  swamp,  and  many  were  captured.  The  pursuers,  chasing 
the  refugees  through  the  town,  bayoneted  several  unarmed  citi 
zens  whom  they  found  on  the  streets.  So  the  English  captured 
Savannah,  the  capital  of  Georgia,  including  all  its  extensive  stores, 
with  a  total  loss  of  only  twenty-four  killed  and  wounded.  The 
captives,  refusing  to  enlist  in  the  British  army,  were  hurried 
into  the  prison-ships  to  speedily  die  of  disease.  Protection  was 
offered  to  those  of  the  inhabitants  who  would  return  to  their 
allegiance.  Numbers  flocked  to  the  British  standard,  while  many 
patriots  fled  to  the  uplands  and  to  Carolina. 

After  his  gallant  exploit  at  Charleston,  Sergeant  Jasper  re 
ceived  from  Colonel  Moultrie  a  roving  commission  entitling  him 
to  form  a  scouting  command.  His  spies  often  proved  of  great 
service  to  the  American  army.  At  one  time,  he  remained  in 
Savannah,  after  its  capture  by  the  British,  several  days,  collect 
ing  valuable  information  concerning  the  English  forces  and  their 
position.  Some  of  his  adventures  were  full  of  romance.  One, 
especially,  has  become  historical. 

Near  Ebenezer,  he  met  a  Mrs.  Jones,  whose  story  awakened 
his  sympathies.  Her  husband  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to 
the  British  government,  but  afterward  joined  the  American 
army.  Having  been  captured,  be  was  now,  with  several  compan 
ions,  en  route  to  Savannah,  to  be  tried  and  probably  hanged.  Ser 
geant  Jasper  and  his  friend  Newton  determined  to  rescue  the 
prisoners.  Thinking  that  the  party  would  stop  to  drink  at  a 
pleasant  spring  about  two  miles  out  of  Savannah,  the  two  patriots 
went  ahead,  and,  hiding  themselves  in  the  bushes  near  by,  awaited 
the  turn  of  affairs.  Upon  reaching  the  point,  the  guard  stacked 
arms,  leaving  two  of  their  number  in  charge  of  the  prisoners. 


1778.] 


EXPLOIT    OF    SERGEANT    JASPER. 


269 


Taking  advantage  of  a  moment  when  the  sentinels'  backs  were 
turned,  Jasper  and  Newton  sprang  from  their  covert,  seized  the 
guns,  shot  the  two  armed  soldiers,  and  called  upon  the  rest  to 
surrender.  They  had  no  resource  but  to  yield.  The  irons  were 
knocked  off  the  prisoners  and  placed  on  the  late  guard.  The 
whole  party  then,  redeemed  friends  and  captive  soldiers,  marched 
into  the  American  camp  at  Purysburg. 

The  next  year,  when  Jasper  lay  dying  before  the  fortifications 
of  Savannah,  his  last  words  were,  "  Tell  Jones,  his  wife  and  son, 
that  the  remembrance  of  the  battle  I  fought  for  them  brought  a 
secret  joy  to  my  heart  when  it  was  about  to  stop  its  motion  for 
ever."  The  spring,  named  after  Jasper,  is  now  neatly  walled  in? 
and  is  the  resort  of  hundreds  of  visitors. 


JOSEPH    BRANDT. 

(From  a  Paint i tig  by  Catlin.) 


CHAPTER    VI. 

FIFTH  YEJfc  OF  THE  DEVOLUTION— 


ITH  the  opening  of  the  year  the 
English  vigorously  pushed  their 
success  at  the  South.  General 
Prevost,  commanding  the  royal 
forces  in  Florida,  marched  across 
the  wilderness,  captured  Sun- 
bury,  the  only  fort  in  Georgia 
occupied  by  the  Americans, 
reached  Savannah,  and  assumed 
command.  Campbell  was  sent 
to  take  possession  of  Augusta. 
The  whole  State  lay  at  his  mercy. 
Sir  James  Wright  was  reinstated 
governor,  and  all  things  were  restored  as  in  the  good  old  times 
before  the  war.  England  could  once  more  boast  of  a  royal  pro 
vince  among  her  former  colonies.  The  conquest  of  South  Caro 
lina  now  seemed  imminent.  Meanwhile,  Major-General  Lincoln 
had  arrived  to  take  command  of  the  patriot  troops  in  the  southern 
department.  His  little  force  of  eleven  hundred  men  was  en 
camped  on  the  Savannah,  near  Purysburg.  Port  Royal  being 
taken  by  a  British  detachment  which  landed  from  their  ships, 
Moultrie  was  sent  to  drive  them  out.  Rallying  some  militia  to 
his  standard,  he  accomplished  the  task  in  gallant  style. 

A  large  body  of  North  Carolina  royalists  having  started  to 
join  Prevost  at  Augusta,  Colonel  Pickens,  with  a  party  of  citizens 
from  Ninety-Six,  fell  upon  them  at  Kettle  Creek  as  they  were 
plundering  about  the  country,  and  put  them  to  rout.  Seventy  of 
the  prisoners  were  tried  by  jury  and  convicted  of  treason.  Five 
of  the  most  influential  were  executed.  This  mode  of  treating  pris 
oners  of  war  was  a  dangerous  precedent,  and  served  as  an  excuse 
to  the  British  for  similar  usage  on  a  more  extended  scale. 


Ma!779?ay']      CAMPAIGN   IN   GEORGIA   AND   SOUTH    CAROLINA.  2/1 

Lincoln,  being  reinforced,  had  hopes  of  recovering  Northern 
Georgia.  He  accordingly  detached  General  Ashe  with  fifteen 
hundred  men  to  take  post  opposite  Augusta.  At  his  coming,  the 
British  evacuated  the  town.  Ashe  thereupon  crossed  the  river, 
and  followed  on  nearly  to  Brier  Creek,  half  way  to  Savannah. 
He  had  apparently  "  never  heard  of  military  discipline  and  vigi 
lance."  On  the  3d  of  March,  Prevost  surprised  his  position.  The 
militia  threw  away  their  guns  and  fled  at  the  first  fire.  The  Con 
tinentals,  sixty  strong,  fought  bravely,  but  uselessly.  Of  the 
whole  detachment,  only  four  hundred  and  fifty,  by  wading  the 
swamp  and  swimming  the  river,  rejoined  Lincoln  in  camp. 

Leaving  Moultrie  with  one  thousand  militia  to  guard  the  pas 
sage  of  the  Savannah,  Lincoln  now  crossed  the  river  and  marched 
up  toward  Augusta,  hoping  to  protect  the  legislature  of  Geor 
gia,  then  about  to  convene.  Prevost  also  immediately  crossed, 
and,  driving  Moultrie  before  him,  moved  towards  Charleston. 
He  was  accompanied  by  Indians,  and  still  more  relentless  tory 
allies.  It  was  a  grand  marauding  time.  Every  house  belonging 
to  a  whig  was  robbed  of  money,  jewelry,  and  even  furniture. 
Windows,  mirrors,  and  crockery  were  wantonly  broken.  Ani 
mals  which  could  not  be  driven  off,  were  shot.  Tombs  were 
desecrated.  Gardens  were  trampled  underfoot.  The  appear 
ance  of  this  banditti  before  Charleston,  May  nth,  aroused  the 
deepest  anxiety.  Had  Prevost  arrived  two  days  earlier  he  might 
have  taken  the  city  at  once.  Fortifications  had  been  hastily 
thrown  up ;  troops  had  arrived,  and  there  was  now  a  chance  of 
defence.  The  council,  however,  parleyed  with  the  enemy,  sure 
at  least  of  gaining  time.  At  this  juncture  South  Carolina  felt 
itself  alone.  Washington  had  been  able  to  send  South  but  few 
men.  Congress  had  done  nothing  except  to  commend  the  arm 
ing  of  the  slaves — a  proposition  indignantly  rejected  by  the  Caro 
linians. 

Rutledge,  against  the  bitter  opposition  of  such  men  as 
Laurens,  Gadsden,  Ferguson,  and  Edwards,  proposed  that  South 
Carolina  should  remain  neutral  during  the  rest  of  the  war.  Pre 
vost  declined  the  offer.  "  Then  we  will  fight  it  out,"  exclaimed 
Moultrie,  and  forthwith  waved  the  flag  from  the  city  gate  as  a 
signal  that  debate  was  over.  But  Prevost  had  learned  that  Lin 
coln  was  coming  by  forced  marches,  and  so,  after  gathering  what 
plunder  he  could  in  the  neighborhood,  he  retired  to  St.  John's 
Island.  Lincoln,  on  his  arrival,  prepared  an  attack  on  the  re- 


2/2 


FIFTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


[May, 
U779. 


doubts  which  protected  the  ferry  across  the  Stono  River  to  the 
island.  He  was  repulsed.  Soon  after,  Prevost,  unperceived, 
escaped  by  interior  navigation  to  Georgia,  leaving  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Maitland  with  a  garrison 
at  Beaufort.  Summer  heats,  like 
winter  colds  at  the  North,  now 
prevented  further  operations. 

The  outrages  committed  by 
Prevost's  men 
were  long  re 
membered.  A 
large  body  took 
possession  of  \  ^  ~$¥  \  ^x  "~"~ 7\  the  house  and 

J  -i.1  *\*s.m'          J  L:_Tnnc"Vwvrn  ^— t  ."  ) 

plantation  of 
Mr.  Robert 
Gibbes  on  the 
Stono  River. 
This  gentle 
man  had  an 
aged  and  in 
firm  brother, 
Mr.  John  Gib 
bes,  who  was 
then  on  a  visit 
to  him  from 
his  beautiful 
home  near 
Charleston, 
where  his 
grounds  were 
laid  out  with 
exquisite  taste 
and  at  a  great 
expense.  A 
Major  Sheri 
dan,  arriving 

at  Mr.  Robert  Gibbes's  from  the  army  on  the  Neck,  was  asked 
by  an  officer  in  the  presence  of  the  brothers,  "  What  news? 
Shall  we  take  the  city?"  "I  fear  not,"  replied  Sheridan,  "  but 
we  have  made  glorious  havoc  of  the  property  round  about. 
I  witnessed  yesterday  the  destruction  of  an  elegant  establish- 


r-M0ULTRlE  MAP    OF 

c         OPERATIONS  "IN 

VIRGINIA, 
NORTH  CAROLINA, 

S.  CAROLINA, 
AND  GEORGIA. 


M|77926']  DEPREDATIONS    IN    SOUTH    CAROLINA.  273 

ment  belonging  to  an  arch-rebel,  who,  luckily  for  himself,  was 
absent.  You  would  have  been  delighted  to  see  how  quickly 
the  pine-apples  were  shared  among  our  men,  and  how  rapidly 
his  trees  and  ornamental  shrubs  were  leveled  with  the  dust." 
Mr.  John  Gibbes,  who  recognized  his  own  place  in  this  de 
scription,  could  not  restrain  his  indignation,  and,  fearless  of 
consequences,  exclaimed,  "  I  hope  that  the  Almighty  will  cause 
the  arm  of  the  scoundrel  who  struck  the  first  blow  to  wither  to 
the  shoulder."  Sheridan  uttered  a  threatening  retort,  but  his 
commanding  officer,  who  divined  the  truth,  advised  him  for  his 
own  credit  to  be  silent.  Mr.  Gibbes  so  seriously  felt  the  outrage 
and  the  loss  that  he  retired  to  his  bed  and  never  rose  again.  Not 
long  afterward  the  whole  family  was  ordered  to  leave,  fire  having 
been  opened  upon  the  house  and  neighboring  encampment  from 
some  Charleston  galleys,  which  had  quietly  ascended  the  river. 
It  was  midnight,  dark  and  rainy.  Mr.  Gibbes,  who  was  ill, 
started  out  with  his  large  household  for  an  adjoining  plantation. 
When  out  of  reach  of  the  pelting  shot,  they  halted  for  a  moment 
to  see  if  all  were  present.  To  their  dismay,  they  found  that  one 
little  boy — a  distant  relative — had  been  left  behind.  The  servants 
were  entreated  to  return  for  him,  but  utterly  refused.  Miss 
Mary  Anna  Gibbes,  a  young  girl  of  thirteen,  resolutely  under 
took  the  mission,  ran  the  long  mile  through  the  rain  and  darkness, 
obtained,  by  many  tears  and  pleadings,  an  admission  to  the  house, 
secured  the  babe,  and  carried  him  in  her  arms  through  a  storm 
of  grape  and  round  shot,  which  frequently  covered  her  person 
with  dirt  as  they  struck  the  ground  at  her  side,  safe  to  the  retreat 
of  her  family.  The  boy  thus  saved  became  the  gallant  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel  Fenwick,  distinguished  in  the  war  of  1812. 

Washington's  army  passed  the  winter  in  a  line  of  positions 
extending  from  the  Highlands  to  the  Delaware.  Clinton's  in 
structions  permitted  only  a  series  of  predatory  excursions,  and 
little  was  attempted  on  either  side.  Signals  were  devised  to  give 
warning  when  the  British  parties  left  New  York.  On  Battle  Hill, 
sentinels  were  placed,  with  orders  by  day  to  fire  a  big  gun 
familiarly  called  the  "  Old  Sow,"  and  at  night  to  kindle  a  beacon. 
These  signals,  repeated  from  hill  to  hill,  quickly  spread  the  alarm 
through  the  country. 

One  day  in  March,  General  Putnam,  while  shaving  at  his 
headquarters  at  Horse  Neck,  saw  in  his  mirror  the  reflection  of  a 
body  of  British  coming  up  the  road.  Changing  his  razor  for  a 
18 


2/4  FIFTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [ 

sword,  he  darted  out,  mounted  his  horse,  and  gathered  his  men 
upon  a  hill  near  by  to  resist  their  advance.  The  overwhelming 
forces  of  the  enemy  at  length  compelled  him  to  flee.  Ordering  his 
troops  to  scatter  into  a  neighboring  swamp,  he  spurred  his  own 
horse  over  a  precipice  and  descended  a  zigzag  path,  where  the 
British  dragoons  did  not  dare  to  follow.  Tryon,  who  was  in 
command  of  the  English,  plundered  the  neighboring  people, 
destroyed  the  salt  works,  and  then  retreated  to  King's  Bridge. 
But  the  irrepressible  Putnam  was  after  him,  and  on  the  way 
recovered  most  of  the  booty. 

During  Prevost's  plundering  raid  in  South  Carolina,  General 
Matthews  was  sent  from  New  York  to  Virginia  on  a  similar  expe 
dition.  He  cast  anchor  in  Hampton  Roads  May  Qth.  Predatory 
parties  ascended  the  James  and  the  Elizabeth  Rivers.  Ports 
mouth  and  Norfolk — the  latter  just  recovering  from  its  destruc 
tion  by  Dunmore — were  seized,  and  the  inhabitants  brutally 
maltreated.  One  hundred  and  thirty  vessels  were  captured. 
Plantations  were  pillaged  and  the  buildings  fired.  Every  house 
save  one  in  Suffolk  county  was  burned.  Matthews  returned  to 
New  York  with  a  rich  booty,  consisting  in  part  of  three  thousand 
hogsheads  of  tobacco.  He  had  inflicted  a  damage  of  two  million 
dollars,  without  advancing  the  royal  cause  in  any  sense. 

On  the  return  of  this  expedition,  Clinton  ascended  the  Hud 
son  and  captured  the  works  at  Stony  Point  and  Verplanck's 
Point,  which  guarded  King's  Ferry.  The  American  army  had 
now  no  means  of  communication  between  New  England  and  the 
Middle  States  below  the  Highlands. 

Connecticut  was  next  to  feel  the  heavy  hand  of  the  invader. 
On  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  July,  the  inhabitants  of  New  Haven 
were  startled  by  the  appearance  of  a  fleet  in  the  bay.  Early  the 
next  morning,  troops  were  rapidly  landed.  Tryon  was  again  out 
with  his  royalists  and  Hessians  on  their  favorite  work.  They 
were  soon  busy  at  plunder.  The  militia,  however,  rallied  and 
drove  off  the  marauding  bands  both  here  and  at  East  Haven.  Dr. 
Daggett,  subsequently  of  Yale  College,  was  barbarously  mal 
treated  while  resisting  the  advance  of  the  enemy.  When  threat 
eningly  asked  if  he  "  would  take  up  arms  again,"  he  bravely 
answered,  "  I  rather  think  I  shall  if  I  get  an  opportunity."  Fair- 
field,  Norwalk,  and  Greenwich  were  next  visited,  pillaged,  and 
burned.  Tryon  boasted  of  his  clemency  in  sparing  a  single 
house.  Unarmed  men  were  brutally  murdered.  Females  were 


July  16,  -i 
1779.  J 


CAPTURE    OF    STONY    POINT. 


275 


insulted.  For  days  afterward,  women,  half  frantic  with  grief  and 
fear,  were  found  wandering  through  the  neighboring  woods. 
The  expedition  was  preparing  to  make  a  descent  on  New  London 
when  it  was  recalled  by  General  Wayne's  famous  exploit  at 
Stony  Point. 

Washington  looked  with  an  envious  eye  on  the  British  pos 
session  of  Stony  Point,  and  had  resolved  upon  its  recapture. 
Upon  making  known  his  wishes  to  Wayne,  that  general  re 
plied,  "  I  will  storm  h — 1  if  you  will  only  lay  the  plan."  The 


fort  was  on  an  eminence,  washed  on  three  sides  by  the  river,  the 
fourth  being  protected  by  a  marsh  that  was  overflowed  at  flood- 
tide.  The  only  hope  lay  in  a  surprise.  Twelve  hundred  men 
were  selected,  and  marched  through  swamps  until  within  a  mile 
and  a  half  of  the  enemy,  where  they  were  concealed.  The  coun 
tersign,  which,  curiously  enough,  was  "  The  fort  is  ours,"  was 
obtained  of  a  negro  who  was  in  the  habit  of  selling  strawberries 
at  the  fort.  He  guided  the  troops  in  the  darkness  to  the  causeway 
leading  over  the  flooded  marsh  around  the  foot  of  the  hill.  The 
unsuspicious  sentinel,  having  received  the  countersign,  was 
chatting  with  the  negro,  when  he  was  suddenly  seized  and 
gagged  by  two  soldiers  dressed  as  farmers.  Wayne's  men 


2/6  FIFTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 

passed  over  the  causeway  and  reached  the  base  of  the  hill  undis 
covered,  where  they  seized  the  second  sentinel  in  the  same  man 
ner.  Forming  in  two  columns,  with  unloaded  muskets  and  fixed 
bayonets,  just  after  midnight  they  commenced  the  ascent  of  the 
steep  and  rugged  slope.  A  forlorn  hope  of  twenty  men  pre 
ceded  each  to  remove  the  abattis.  They  had  nearly  reached  the 
picket  before  they  were  discovered.  Fire  was  at  once  opened 
upon  them.  Wayne  was  wounded,  but  commanded  his  aids  to 
carry  him  that  he  might  die  at  the  head  of  his  column.  The  rush 
of  his  men  was  irresistible.  An  instant  more,  and  a  deafening 
shout  told  that  the  fort  was  won.  Both  columns  reached  the 
centre  of  the  works  at  nearly  the  same  time.  The  British  lost  in 
killed  and  prisoners  six  hundred  and  six  men,  and  the  Ameri 
cans  but  ninety-eight.  Even  English  authorities  agree  that  the 
Americans  did  not  take  the  life  of  a  man  except  in  fair  fight.  On 
account  of  the  vicinity  of  the  main  army  under  Clinton,  Washing 
ton  ordered  the  fort  to  be  evacuated.  The  stores  were  all  re 
moved  and  the  works  razed  to  the  ground. 

August  iQth,  Major  Henry  Lee  rivaled  this  brilliant  exploit 
of  Wayne's  by  the  capture  of  Paulus  Hook,  now  Jersey  City,  in 
sight  of  New  York,  and  almost  in  range  of  its  guns.  Reaching 
the  neighborhood  of  the  fort  before  daylight,  his  detachment  was 
mistaken  by  the  sentinel  for  a  foraging  party  and  allowed  to  pass. 
The  Americans  were  inside  the  works  before  the  garrison  was 
fairly  awake.  Major  Sutherland,  the  commander  of  the  post, 
threw  himself  with  sixty  Hessians  into  a  block-house  and  opened 
fire ;  but  Lee  had  no  time  for  an  assault,  as  alarm-guns  began 
already  to  be  heard.  Collecting  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  pris 
oners,  he  retired  as  rapidly  as  he  had  come.  Lee  received  a  gold 
medal  from  Congress  for  this  feat. 

While  everything  under  Washington's  immediate  eye  was 
thus  favorable,  an  expedition  sent  out  by  Massachusetts  against 
the  British  at  Fort  Castine,  on  the  Penobscot,  proved  a  total  and 
disgraceful  failure.  It  consisted  of  nineteen  vessels,  carrying 
over  three  hundred  guns,  and  twenty-four  transports,  bearing 
one  thousand  men.  It  reached  its  destination  July  25th.  Delays 
followed.  Finally  a  British  fleet  dispersed  the  naval  forces,  when 
the  land  troops  were  glad  to  make  their  way  home  through  the 
wilderness  as  best  they  could. 

The  continued  Indian  and  tory  atrocities  in  the  Wyoming  and 
Mohawk  valleys  threatened  to  depopulate  these  fertile  regions. 


A^29,]  THE    BATTLE    OF    CHEMUNG.  277 

It  was  now  felt  that  such  a  punishment  must  be  inflicted  upon 
the  Six  Nations  as  would  deter  them  from  further  incursions. 
General  Sullivan  accordingly  organized  for  this  purpose  a  force 
of  about  three  thousand  men.  Late  in  August  he  moved  north 
ward  from  Wyoming,  the  artillery  and  stores  being  drawn  up  the 
Susquehanna  in  one  hundred  and  fifty  boats.  At  Tioga  he  was 
joined  by  General  Clinton  with  one  thousand  New  York  troops. 
The  latter  had  marched  from  Albany,  up  the  Mohawk  to  Canajo- 
harie,  and  thence  ascending  Canajoharie  Creek,  had  reached  Ot- 
sego  Lake.  Finding  the  water  of  the  outlet  too  low  to  float  his 
bateaux,  he  built  a  dam  across  the  stream,  by  which  the  lake  was 
raised  several  feet.  When  the  dam  was  cut,  the  boats  glided 
easily  down  to  Tioga  upon  the  rushing  water.  The  Indians  fled 
in  dismay  at  the  sight  of  a  flood  in  the  midst  of  the  summer 
drought,  believing  it  a  signal  proof  of  the  displeasure  of  the  Great 
Spirit. 

On  the  26th,  the  combined  forces  ascended  the  Chemung, 
an  Indian  word  for  Big  Horn.  Sullivan  carefully  provided 
against  the  danger  of  a  surprise.  Large  flanking  parties  were 
thrown  on  each  side  of  the  line  of  march,  and  strong  guards  were 
in  front  and  rear.  Reaching  a  place  called  Hog's  Back,  they  found 
the  Indians  under  Brandt,  Corn-Planter,  and  Red  Jacket,  and  the 
tories  under  Sir  John  Johnson  and  the  Butlers,  awaiting  their  ap 
proach.  They  were  about  eight  hundred  in  all,  and  occupied  a 
strong  position.  Their  left  rested  on  the  hill  and  their  right  on  a 
ridge  running  parallel  with  the  river.  They  had  regular  entrench 
ments  thrown  up  nearly  half  a  mile  in  length,  and  were  also 
protected  by  the  pines  and  shrub-oaks  covering  the  ground. 
The  works  were  artfully  concealed  by  green  boughs  planted  in 
front.  Sullivan  at  once  ordered  General  Hand  and  the  rifle 
corps  to  attack  in  front,  while  Generals  Poor  and  Clinton,  with 
their  brigades,  cleared  the  hill  on  the  Indian  left.  This  was  done 
in  fine  style.  The  savages,  leaping  from  tree  to  tree  and  rock 
to  rock,  though  greatly  alarmed  by  the  fire  of  the  artillery,  dis 
puted  every  inch  ;  while  Brandt,  animating  his  followers,  ranged 
the  field  like  a  very  demon.  Night  was  coming  on,  and  the 
assaulting  columns  seemed  to  falter  for  a  moment.  Then,  as  the 
legend  says,  there  hovered  above  them,  amid  the  smoke  of  the 
battle,  the  vision  of  a  mother  clasping  her  babe  in  her  bosom  and 
shielding  it  from  an  uplifted  tomahawk.  The  troops  instantly, 
as  if  by  an  inspiration,  dashed  forward.  Poor  and  Clinton  swept 


2/8  FIFTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [f\779. 

the  hill  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet.  Brandt,  despairing,  raised 
the  shrill  cry,  "  Oonah  !  Oonah !  "  and  the  whole  body  fled  in  con 
fusion.  The  Americans,  in  spite  of  the  desperation  of  the  Iro- 
quois,  lost  only  five  or  six  men  and  fifty  wounded. 

The  Indians,  satisfied  that  they  could  not  resist  this  powerful 
force,  gave  up  in  despair.  Sullivan,  marching  up  the  river  about 
seven  miles,  came  to  an  Indian  village  called  Conewawah — an 
Iroquois  term  meaning  a-head-on-a-pole — afterward  the  site  of  a 
settlement  known  as  Newtown,  and  now  Elmira.  This  he  de 
stroyed,  and  thence  proceeded  to  Queen  Catharine's  Town,  now 
Havana,  near  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake. 

The  Senecas  and  the  Cayugas  had  regularly-laid-out  villages, 
and  lived  in  framed  houses,  many  of  them  painted  and  hav 
ing  chimneys.  Their  fields  were  large  and  fruitful,  especially  in 
the  Genesee  Valley,  and  were  covered  with  orchards  of  apple, 
pear  and  peach  trees.  "  At  Wyoming,  no  mercy  was  shown  but 
the  hatchet;  here,  none  but  the  firebrand."  The  army  marched 
resistlessly  to  and  fro  through  the  whole  country  from  the  Che- 
mung  to  the  Genesee,  destroying  their  waving  fields  of  maize, 
ruining  their  orchards  and  burning  their  villages.  The  Christian 
emulated  the  savage  in  the  barbarity  of  war.  Kanadaseagea,  now 
Geneva,  the  capital  of  the  Senecas  ;  Schoyere,  near  Cayuga  Lake  ; 
Kanandaigua,  a  town  at  the  head  of  the  beautiful  lake  by  the 
same  name ;  and  Honeoye,  were  all  destroyed  without  resistance. 

When  the  army  entered  the  Valley  of  the  Genesee,  the  In 
dians,  having  hidden  their  women  and  children  in  the  forest,  were 
lying  in  wait  on  the  flats  toward  the  head  of  Connissius  Lake  ;  but 
the  vanguard  of  the  invading  force  put  them  to  flight.  Approach 
ing  Little  Beard's  town,  Lieutenant  Boyd  was  sent  forward  with 
a  party  to  reconnoitre.  While  on  his  return  he  fell  into  an  am 
bush  prepared  by  Brandt  and  his  warriors.  Nearly  all  Boyd's 
men  were  killed ;  he  was  taken  and  put  to  death  with  cruel  tor 
tures.  Thence  Sullivan  spread  his  troops  wide  over  the  smiling 
valley,  laying  waste  magnificent  fields  of  grain,  destroying  forty 
towns — among  them  Genesee,  the  capital  of  the  Six  Nations — and 
leaving  only  a  blackened  waste  of  all  that  beautiful  region.  It  was 
expected  that  he  would  push  westward  and  destroy  the  English 
fort  at  Niagara,  which  was  the  very  focus  of  Indian  and  British 
intrigue ;  but  he  had  moved  so  slowly  that  he  was  compelled  to 
return  without  accomplishing  this  greatly  desired  result.  Just 
before  reaching  the  Chemung  again,  forage  gave  out,  and  Sulli- 


°f7-99']  ATTACK  UPON  SAVANNAH.  279 

van  ordered  several  hundred  horses  to  be  killed.      This  equine 
Golgotha  has  since  retained  the  name  of  Horse-Heads. 

The  Six  Nations  were  subdued  for  the  moment ;  but  their 
bitter  hatred  was  aroused,  and  they  swore  vengeance  against 
Washington,  whom  they  styled  the  Town-destroyer.  Yet,  singu 
larly,  their  veneration  for  him  was  never  lessened.  According  to 
their  belief,  no  white  man  except  Washington  ever  reached 
heaven.  Their  legends  represent  him  as  occupying  a  fort-like 
mansion  at  the  gate  of  the  happy  hunting-grounds.  He  walks  in 
full  uniform  to  and  fro,  in  "  meditation,  fancy  free,"  and  the  faithful 
Indians  see  him,  but  always  pass  in  respectful  silence. 

On  the  first  of  September,  the  French  fleet  of  twenty  ships- 
of-the-line,  under  d'Estaing,  appeared  off  the  coast  of  Georgia. 
A  combined  attack  upon  Savannah  was  now  arranged  with  Lin 
coln.      The  militia  of  South  Carolina  turned  out  with  alacrity, 
and  Washington  despatched   several  North  Carolina   regiments 
for  this  service.     The  combined  forces,  however,  were  not  able  to 
commence  operations  till  the  23d,  although  the  French  had  already 
landed  and  summoned  Prevost  to  surrender.      The  British  had 
thoroughly  improved  the  delay,  called  in  their  forces,  thrown  up 
entrenchments,  and  were  well  prepared  for  defence.     Two  weeks 
of  bombardment  from  the   trenches  and  the  shipping  followed, 
without  any  marked  result.     D'Estaing  became  impatient.     The 
autumnal   gales    were   approaching ;    his   fleet   lay   off  the   open 
coast,  and  delays  were  full  of  peril.     On  October  8th  it  was  de 
cided  that  the  next  day  should  witness  an  assault.     It  was  gal 
lantly  executed,  but  was  a  failure  almost  from  the  start.     A  col 
umn  under  Count  Dillon  was  to  have  fallen  on  the  English  rear ; 
but,  becoming  entangled  in  the  swamp,  it  was  beaten  back  by  the 
enemy's  guns  without  attempting  an  attack.      The  French  and 
American  columns  reached  the  works  in  front  under  a  heavy  fire, 
the  former  planting  a  banner  on  the  parapet.      Lieutenants  Bush 
and  Hume,  of  the  second  South  Carolina  regiment,  leaped  to  the 
top  with  the  colors  given  to  them  at  Fort  Moultrie.     Both  officers 
were  killed.      Sergeant  Jasper,  springing  to  their  help,  fell  mor 
tally  wounded.      In  his  dying  moments,  he   managed   to  creep 
away  with  the  banner  he  had  sworn  to  protect.      Laurens  him 
self,  struggling   in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  in  despair  at   the 
retreat  of  his  men,  threw  away  his  sword,  and,  stretching  out  his 
hands,  it  is  said,  "  prayed  for  death."     Pulaski,  carrying  a  banner 
placed  in  his  hands  by  the  Moravian  nuns,  was  struck  down  by  a 


28O  FIFTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [°779' 

cannon-ball,  at  the  head  of  his  legion.  D'Estaing  was  twice 
wounded.  A  dashing  charge  of  grenadiers  and  marines  from  the 
city  now  drove  the  assailants  back  to  their  lines.  The  Americans 
had  lost  in  this  fruitless  enterprise  over  four  hundred,  and  the 
French  about  six  hundred  men,  while  the  British  had  suffered  but 
slightly.  D'Estaing  immediately  sailed  away.  Lincoln  retired 
to  Charleston  with  what  he  could  save  of  his  army,  and  the 
militia  scattered  to  their  homes  or  took  to  the  swamps. 

While  the  French-American  army  was  thus  unsuccessfully 
engaged  in  the  siege  of  Savannah,  Colonel  White  of  Georgia 
achieved  a  feat  which  borders  on  the  marvelous.  Learning 
that  Captain  French  and  a  party  of  British  regulars,  with  five 
vessels,  four  of  which  were  armed,  one  carrying  fourteen  guns, 
were  on  the  Ogeechee,  about  twenty-five  miles  below  the  city, 
he  determined  to  attempt  their  capture.  He  had  only  a  captain 
and  three  soldiers.  He  lighted  many  fires  in  the  woods,  so 
as  to  give  the  appearance  of  a  camp.  To  complete  the  strata 
gem,  he  then,  accompanied  by  his  four  companions,  rode  hither 
and  thither,  after  the  manner  of  a  general  and  his  staff,  inspecting 
his  lines  and  giving  his  orders.  The  English  officer  was  next 
summoned  to  capitulate.  Thinking  himself  about  to  be  attacked 
by  a  great  body  of  the  enemy,  French  surrendered  his  detach 
ment,  ships,  and  crews  (October  ist).  White  now  pretended 
that  he  must  keep  his  men  in  the  camp,  in  order  to  restrain  their 
fury,  and  prevent  an  indiscriminate  slaughter  of  the  prisoners. 
He  therefore  delivered  French  and  his  party  into  the  hands  of 
three  guides,  who  would  conduct  them  to  a  place  of  safety.  They 
had  orders  to  move  off  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Meanwhile, 
White,  who  had  stayed  behind  to  "  bring  up  the  main  body," 
hastened  into  the  country  with  his  remaining  soldier,  quickly 
collected  a  force  of  militia,  and  finally  overtook  his  captives,  who 
were  proceeding  along  comfortably  under  the  care  of  his  guides, 
and  were  full  of  thankfulness  for  his  merciful  consideration. 

No  American  successes  caused  more  annoyance  to  the  British 
than  those  of  the  navy.  In  1775,  Washington  sent  out  several 
vessels  to  cruise  along  the  New  England  coast  as  privateers.  In 
the  same  year  Congress  established  a  naval  department.  Thir 
teen  ships  were  ordered  to  be  fitted  out  and  two  battalions  of 
seamen  enlisted.  So  anxious  was  the  American  government,  that 
Washington  was  forced  to  divide  his  scanty  store  of  supplies  with 
the  newly-fledged  fleet.  Swift-sailing  vessels,  manned  by  bold 


Sept.  23,-] 
1779.     J 


CAPTURE    OF    THE    SERAPIS. 


28l 


seamen,  soon  infested  every  avenue  of  commerce.  Within  three 
years  they  captured  five  hundred  ships.  They  even  cruised 
among  the  British  Isles,  and,  entering  the  harbors,  seized  and 
burned  ships  lying  at  English  wharves. 

Paul  Jones  was  among  the  most  famous  of  these  naval  heroes. 
In  six  weeks  he  is  said  to  have  taken  sixteen  prizes.  While 
cruising  off  England,  Septem 
ber,  1779,  in  the  forty -gun  ship 
Bon  Homme  Richard,  named 
in  honor  of  the  Poor  Richard 
of  Franklin's  Almanac,  he  came 
across  the  Serapis,  carrying  forty- 
four  guns.  Jones  at  once  laid 
his  vessel  alongside.  Twice  the 
ships  fell  afoul  each  other.  The 


CAPTURE   OF  THE   SERAI'IS   BY   THE    BON    HO.M.ME   KICHAKD. 

first  time,  the  Serapis  hailed  the  Richard,  asking  if  she  had 
"  struck  her  colors."  "  I  have  not  yet  begun  to  fight,"  was  Jones's 
reply.  The  second  time,  with  his  own  hands  he  aided  in  lashing 
the  vessels  together.  For  two  hours  longer  the  crews  fought 
hand  to  hand,  with  musket,  pike,  and  cutlass.  The  muzzles  of  the 


282 


FIFTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


[-Sept.  23. 
L     1779. 


guns  touched,  and  the  gunners,  in  working  their  pieces,  often 
thrust  their  ramrods  into  the  port-holes  of  the  other  ship.  The 
Bon  Homme  was  old  and  rotten,  and  soon  became  almost  un 
manageable.  Water  poured  into  the  hold.  Only  three  of  the 
guns  could  be  worked.  The  ship  was  really  beaten,  and  only  the 
stout  heart  of  Jones  held  out.  Three  times  both  vessels  were  on 
fire.  At  last,  sailors  on  the  yards  of  the  Bon  Homme  dropped 
hand-grenades  down  the  hatchway  of  the  Serapis.  An  explo 
sion  ensued ;  twenty  men  were  blown  to  pieces,  and  forty  were 
disabled.  The  Serapis  thereupon  struck  her  colors.  The  Bon 
Homme  was  already  sinking,  and  Jones  transferred  his  men  to 
the  captured  frigate. 

At  this  time,  Jones  was  in  command  of  five  vessels — the  Bon 
Homme  Richard,  Pallas,  Cerf,  Vengeance,  and  Alliance.  All  ex 
cept  the  last  were  French  ships.  The  Serapis,  with  her  consort, 
the  Countess  of  Scarborough,  was  convoying  a  fleet  of  merchant 
men.  During  this  desperate  duel,  the  Pallas  had  fought  the  Scar 
borough,  taking  her  just  after  the  Serapis  surrendered.  But  the 
other  vessels  offered  no  help.  So  far  from  that,  the  Alliance,  Cap 
tain  Landis,  repeatedly  fired  into  the  Richard,  with  the  hope  of 
compelling  Jones  to  capitulate,  that  Landis  might  have  the  credit 
of  retaking  the  Richard  and  capturing  the  Serapis. 


THE    DECATUR    .MONUMENT. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

SIXTH  YEAfc  OF  THE  DEVOLUTION—  1780. 


nardshiPs  of  the  camP  at 
ley  Forge  are  Proverbial;  but 
the  winter  of  1779-80,  in  the  huts 
at  Morristown,  witnessed,  if  pos 
sible,  greater  misery.  The  cold 
set  in  early  this  year,  and  the 
winter  was  the  severest  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  The  want 
of  bread  and  meat  and  the  lack 
of  clothing  form  the  burden  of 
the  same  old,  sad  story  of  priva 
tion  and  suffering.  Continental 
money  had  been  issued  by  Con 
gress  to  the  amount  of  two  hundred  million  dollars.  It  was  now 
so  much  depreciated  that  forty  dollars  in  bills  were  worth  only 
one  dollar  in  specie.  A  pair  of  boots  cost  six  hundred  dollars  in 
these  paper  promises.  A  soldier's  pay  for  a  month  would  hardly 
buy  him  a  dinner.  To  make  the  matter  worse,  the  British  had 
flooded  the  country  with  counterfeits,  which  could  not  be  told 
from  the  genuine.  Many  persons  entirely  refused  to  take  Con 
tinental  money.  The  sufferings  of  the  soldiers,  and  the  difficulty 
of  procuring  supplies,  may  be  readily  imagined. 

Washington,  though  with  great  reluctance,  was  forced  to 
make  requisitions  upon  the  surrounding  country.  To  the  honor 
of  the  loyal  people  of  Jersey  be  it  remembered  that,  in  this  hour 
of  gloom,  they  bore  these  exactions  with  patriotic  submission. 
More  than  that,  many  of  the  farmers  voluntarily  sent  in  provi 
sions,  shoes,  coats,  and  blankets  ;  while  the  women  met  together 
to  knit  stockings  and  to  sew  for  the  needy  troops.  One  Anna 
Kitchel,  wife  of  a  Whippany  farmer,  was  foremost  in  good  deeds. 


284  SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.      [March  3j-Apni  14. 

"  Her  potato  bin,  meal  bag,  and  granary  had  always  some  comfort 
for  the  patriot  soldiers.  When  unable  to  billet  them  in  her  house, 
a  huge  kettle,  filled  with  meat  and  vegetables,  constantly  hung 
over  the  fire,  that  no  one  might  go  away  hungry." 

Such  patriotism,  however,  was  not  general  throughout  the 
country.  Discouraged  by  the  length  of  the  war,  the  apathy  of 
which  we  have  already  spoken  became  even  deeper  than  before. 
In  this  extremity,  Washington  declared  that  he  had  "  almost 
ceased  to  hope,"  and  that  friends  and  foes  seemed  to  be  combin 
ing  to  pull  down  the  fabric  raised  at  so  much  expense  of  time, 
blood,  and  treasure.  The  best  men  no  longer  went  to  Congress, 
and  in  that  body  only  fifteen  or  twenty  persons  transacted  the 
most  important  business.  Its  councils  were  consequently  scarcely 
heeded,  and  its  authority  was  openly  disregarded.  The  national 
power,  divided  among  thirteen  States,  was  fast  sinking  to  its 
lowest  ebb — this,  too,  at  a  time  when  the  final  conquest  of  the 
United  States  by  Great  Britain  was  scarcely  expected,  even  by 
the  most  sanguine  friends  of  the  crown. 

On  the  day  after  Christmas,  Clinton  set  sail  from  New  York 
for  an  attack  upon  Charleston.  After  a  tempestuous  voyage,  he 
reached  North  Edisto  Sound,  February  loth.  Governor  Rut- 
ledge  and  General  Lincoln  were  indefatigable  in  their  efforts  to 
fortify  the  city.  Clinton  advanced  with  great  caution,  and  it  was 
not  till  the  3ist  of  March  that  he  sat  down,  with  ten  thousand 
men,  before  the  American  works  on  Charleston  Neck.  The  loth 
of  April,  he  completed  his  first  parallel,  and  summoned  the  city 
to  surrender.  Meanwhile,  the  English  fleet  had  safely  crossed  the 
bar,  passed  Fort  Moultrie,  and  was  anchored  in  the  harbor. 
Lincoln,  however,  influenced  by  the  entreaties  of  the  inhabitants, 
decided  to  remain  with  his  army,  although  the  capture  of  the  city 
was  a  foregone  conclusion.  He  therefore  replied  to  Clinton  that 
both  duty  and  inclination  moved  him  to  defend  his  post  to  the 
last  extremity.  It  was  a  useless  attempt.  Fort  Moultrie  surren 
dered  without  a  shot.  The  English  pushed  their  works  vigor 
ously. 

As  yet,  Lincoln  had  kept  up  his  communication  with  the  coun 
try  across  the  Cooper  River.  But  on  the  night  of  April  I4th, 
Tarleton  fell  upon  General  Huger,  who  was  encamped,  with  fif 
teen  hundred  cavalry,  at  Monk's  Corner,  and  put  him  to  flight. 
The  patriots,  after  this  discomfiture,  retired  north  of  the  Santee. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  White,  who  took  command,  afterward  re- 


^o2']  SURRENDER  OF  CHARLESTON.  285 

crossed  that  river,  in  order  to  attack  a  British  foraging  party. 
Ere  he  could  get  back,  Tarleton  was  upon  him  with  his  terrible 
dragoons,  and,  at  the  ford  of  the  Santee,  repeated  the  catastrophe 
of  Monk's  Corner. 

Charleston  was  now  entirely  surrounded.  All  hope  of  aid  or 
retreat  was  cut  off,  and,  May  I2th,  the  city,  with  its  garrison,  was 
surrendered.  By  counting  soldiers,  citizens,  old  and  infirm, 
tories  and  whigs  alike,  Clinton  made  out  five  thousand  paroled 
prisoners.  A  carnival  of  plunder  ensued.  Slaves  were  seized ; 
even  those  who  came  voluntarily  into  the  English  lines  being  sent 
to  the  West  Indies.  A  major-general's  share  of  the  booty,  we 
are  told,  was  five  thousand  guineas. 

Expeditions  were  rapidly  sent  out  to  overrun  the  entire  coun 
try  ;  one  up  the  Savannah  to  Augusta,  another  up  the  Santee 
toward  Ninety-Six,  and  a  third  toward  Camden.  The  advance 
of  the  last  under  Tarleton,  May  29th,  at  Waxhaw  Creek,  over 
took  a  regiment  of  Virginians  under  Colonel  Buford,  who  was 
retreating  into  North  Carolina,  after  the  fall  of  Charleston.  The 
Americans  offered  to  surrender  ;  but  Tarleton  rejected  the  terms, 
and,  while  the  patriots  were  still  hesitating,  fell  upon  them  with 
the  sword.  No  quarter  was  given.  One  hundred  and  thirteen 
were  killed,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  so  brutally  maimed  that 
they  could  not  be  moved.  "  This  bloody  day  only  wanted,"  says 
Lee,  in  his  Memoirs,  "  the  war-dance  and  the  roasting-fire,  to  have 
placed  it  first  in  the  records  of  torture  and  death."  Henceforth 
"  Tarleton's  quarter  "  was  proverbial. 

The  inhabitants  now  flocked  in  from  all  parts  to  meet  the 
royal  army  and  resume  their  ancient  allegiance.  On  every  side 
were  heard  cries  of  submission  and  loyalty.  Clinton  wrote 
home  that  "  South  Carolina  was  English  again."  Thinking  that 
he  could  deal  with  the  State  as  a  royal  province,  by  his  famous 
proclamation  of  June  3d,  he  ordered  that  all,  even  the  paroled 
prisoners,  should  be  henceforth  considered  as  liege  subjects  of 
Great  Britain.  The  entire  male  population  was  to  be  enrolled  in 
the  militia  ;  the  men  over  forty  being  liable  to  be  called  upon 
only  in  case  of  invasion,  while  those  under  that  age  were  to  serve 
six  months  each  year. 

A  Carolinian  taken  in  arms  against  the  king,  was  in  this  way 
made  liable  to  be  tried  as  a  deserter  and  executed.  Relying  upon 
the  promises  of  the  British  commander,  many  had  fondly  hoped 
to  be  allowed  to  remain  at  home  in  peace  during  the  remainder 


286  SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [1780. 

of  the  war.  They  were  now  told  that  they  must  fight,  and  the 
only  question  was  whether  it  should  be  for,  or  against,  their  native 
country.  By  this  ill-timed  rigor  the  Southern  States,  which 
appeared  reunited  to  the  crown,  were  henceforth  convulsed  with 
civil  war.  Brutal  tories,  having  received  commissions  to  raise 
troops,  roamed  the  country,  insulting,  plundering,  and  even  mur 
dering  those  who  refused  to  join  their  ranks.  Patriots  were  out 
lawed,  and  their  property  was  confiscated.  Delicate  women,  who 
had  been  accustomed  to  every  comfort,  were  despoiled  of  raiment 
and  home,  and  were  glad  to  find  refuge  in  some  hovel  too  me'an 
to  excite  the  attention  of  the  enemy.  No  one  could  be  neutral. 
He  who  was  not  in  arms  for  the  king,  was  liable  to  be  assassinated 
in  his  own  home,  even  in  the  presence  of  his  wife  and  little  chil 
dren.  A  merchant  could  not  collect  a  debt,  except  on  taking  an 
oath  of  loyalty.  One  of  Tarleton's  quartermasters  cut  to  pieces 
Samuel  Wyly,  in  his  own  house  near  Camden,  merely  because  he 
had  been  a  volunteer  at  the  siege  of  Charleston.  One  hundred 
and  sixty  of  the  inhabitants  of  Camden  were  sent  to  prison,  and 
twenty  were  loaded  with  chains,  on  their  refusal  to  take  up  arms 
against  their  countrymen.  The  Continentals  captured  at  Charles 
ton  were  sent  to  prison-ships,  where,  in  thirteen  months,  one-third 
of  them  died  of  disease.  Several  hundred  young  men  were  taken 
to  Jamaica,  and  forced  to  serve  in  a  British  regiment.  Gadsden, 
Rutledge,  and  other  devoted  patriots  were  sent  to  St.  Augustine. 

Reports  of  these  and  multitudes  of  similar  outrages,  happening 
month  after  month  for  over  two  long  years  of  British  occupation, 
stirred  the  most  sluggish  hearts.  Patriots,  exiled  from  home, 
took  up  arms,  blacksmiths  forging  their  rude  weapons,  and 
women,  who  gloried  in  the  title  of  "  rebels,"  casting  bullets  for 
them  out  of  the  pewter  utensils  they  sacrificed  from  their  pantry- 
shelves.  The  war  at  the  South  henceforth  assumed  a  character 
unlike  that  which  it  possessed  in  the  North  at  any  point ;  except, 
perhaps,  in  the  sections  exposed  to  Indian  forays,  or  the  so-called 
neutral  ground  along  the  Hudson,  between  the  English  and 
American  lines. 

The  Carolinas,  wild  and  extensive,  cut  up  by  streams,  full  of 
swamps  and  tangled  woods,  and  having  a  mountainous  border  on 
the  west,  were  exactly  fitted  for  a  bush-warfare,  and  became  the 
scene  of  the  most  romantic  adventures  and  hair-breadth  escapes. 
The  inhabitants  were  nearly  equally  divided  in  sentiment,  and 
tories  and  whigs  were  bent  on  each  other's  destruction.  Both 


17SO.]  PARTISAN    WARFARE    IN    THE    CAROLINAS.  287 

sides  organized  partisan  corps,  which  rendezvoused  in  swamps, 
and  sallied  out,  as  occasion  offered,  to  strike  a  sudden  blow,  and 
then  escaped  with  their  plunder  through  by-paths  known  only  to 
themselves.  The  country  was  harried  by  the  continual  passage 
of  these  predatory  bands.  The  rancor  of  the  royalists  provoked 
retaliation ;  rude  justice  was  dealt  on  occasions,  and  the  bitterest 
hatred  was  engendered.  Daring  leaders  arose  whose  names 
carried  terror  to  their  foes  and  gave  strength  to  the  cause  they 
upheld.  On  the  British  side  were  Tarleton  with  his  merciless 
dragoons,  and  Ferguson  with  his  riflemen ;  on  the  American, 
were  Sumter,  the  "  Carolina  Game-cock,"  whom  Lord  Cornwallis 
characterized  as  his  "  greatest  plague";  Marion,  the  "  Bayard 
of  the  South";  and  the  ever-vigilant  Pickens. 

Dark  and  bloody  deeds,  lit  up  here  and  there  with  a  gleam  of 
kindness  and  faith,  characterize  this  page  of  our  history.  Though 
generally  lightly  touched  upon,  they  greatly  influenced  the  issue 
of  the  contest.  Every  heart  has  been  aroused  in  reading  Bryant's 
Song  of  Marion's  Men,"  those  patriots  "  few,  but  true  and  tried," 
under  a  "  leader  frank  and  bold."  The  very  breath  of  the  forest 
is  caught  in  the  stirring  lines  : 

"Woe  to  the  English  soldiery  that  little  dread  us  near ! 
On  them  shall  light  at  midnight  a  strange  and  sudden  fear ; 
When,  waking  to  their  tents  on  fire,  they  grasp  their  arms  in  vain, 
And  they  who  stand  to  face  us  are  beat  to  earth  again  ; 
And  they  who  fly  in  terror  deem  a  mighty  host  behind, 
And  hear  the  tramp  of  thousands  upon  the  hollow  wind. 


"  Well  knows  the  fair  and  friendly  moon  the  band  that  Marion  leads — 
The  glitter  of  their  rifles,  the  scampering  of  their  steeds. 
'Tis  life  to  guide  the  fiery  barb  across  the  moonlit  plain  ; 
'Tis  life  to  feel  the  night-wind  that  lifts  his  tossing  mane. 
A  moment  in  the  British  camp — a  moment,  and  away 
Back  to  the  pathless  forest  before  the  peep  of  day." 

But  there  is  another  virtue  beside  courage — that  of  endurance. 
Concerning  Marion,  it  has  been  said  that  "  his  simplicity  of  con 
duct,  preserved  under  all  circumstances,  was  above  praise ;  the 
cheerfulness  with  which  he  endured  privations,  surpassed  en 
comium."  At  one  time,  a  British  officer  was  sent  to  negotiate 
some  business  with  him.  When  it  was  concluded,  Marion  po 
litely  invited  him  to  remain  to  dinner — an  invitation  which  the 


288 


SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


[1780. 


officer,  already  charmed  with  Marion's  dignified  simplicity,  gladly 

accepted.      The    repast   consisted   entirely   of  roasted   potatoes, 

served  upon  pieces  of  bark,  and  was  offered  without  apology,  but 

with  the   simple  mention  of  the  old 

adage    that    "  Hunger    is    the    best 

sauce."      The     British    officer     was 

amazed     at     such    a    meagre     diet. 

"Surely,  general,"  he  said,  "  this 

cannot   be   your   ordinary   fare." 

"  It  is  indeed,"  was  the  quiet 


A   RENDEZVOUS   OF   MARION   AND    HIS   MEN. 


reply  ;  "  but  on  this  occasion,  having  the  honor  of  your  company, 
we  are  happy  to  have  more  than  our  usual  allowance."  The 
officer  was  so  affected  by  this  unselfish  patriotism,  especially  as 
he  afterward  learned  that  Marion  served  without  pay,  that,  imme 
diately  upon  his  return,  he  resigned  his  commission,  declaring 
that  it  was  folly  to  fight  against  men  who  showed  such  devotion 
to  their  cause. 

Colonel  Horry  of  Carolina,  who  belonged  to  Marion's  brigade, 
was  another  dauntless  patriot.  He  had  an  impediment  in  his 
speech,  which  greatly  embarrassed  him.  A  ludicrous  story  is 


1780.]  PARTISAN    WARFARE    IN    THE    CAROLINAS.  289 

told  of  him  when,  after  having  waited  some  time  in  ambuscade  to 
attack  a  certain  British  detachment,  he  had  them  at  length  in  his 
power.  The  critical  moment  had  come,  and  he  jumped  to  his 
feet  to  give  the  order  to  fire.  "  Fi-fi-fi-fi-fi — "  his  tongue  would 
go  no  further.  Irritated  almost  to  madness,  he  shouted,  "  Shoot, 
d — n  you — shoot !  shoot !  You  know  very  well  what  I  would  say 
— shoot  and  be  d — d  to  you  !  "  His  own  courage  reacted  upon 
and  inspired  all  who  came  in  contact  with  him.  At  Quimby, 
Colonel  Baxter,  himself  a  brave  soldier,  called  out,  "  Colonel,  I 
am  wounded !  "  "  Never  mind,  Baxter,  stand  to  your  post !  "  was 
the  reply.  "  But  I  can't  stand,  colonel ;  I  am  wounded  a  second 
time!"  "Then  lie  down,  Baxter,  but  don't  quit  your  post." 
"  Colonel,"  cried  the  same  voice,  "  they  have  shot  me  again,  and 
if  I  stay  here  any  longer,  they  will  shoot  me  to  pieces."  "  Be  it 
so,  Baxter,  but  stir  not!  "  was  the  calm  response.  Baxter  obeyed 
the  order,  and  was  actually  wounded  a  fourth  time  before  the 
engagement  was  over. 

One  beautiful  spring  morning,  a  splendidly-dressed  officer, 
accompanied  by  two  aids  and  followed  by  a  score  of  troopers  as  a 
body-guard,  dashed  up  the  avenue  to  a  fine  old  mansion,  on  the 
piazza  of  which  sat  two  ladies  and  a  little  child.  Politely  bowing, 
the  officer  said,  "  Have  I  the  pleasure  of  speaking  to  the  mistress 
of  this  house  ?  "  Being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  and  learning 
that  her  husband  was  absent,  Tarleton,  for  it  was  he,  next  in 
quired,  "  Is  he  a  rebel  ?  "  "  No,  sir,"  was  the  quick  reply  ;  "  he  is 
in  the  army  of  his  country,  and  fighting  against  our  invaders ; 
therefore,  not  a  rebel."  "  I  fear,  madame,  that  we  differ,"  Tarle 
ton  rejoined ;  "  a  friend  to  his  country  will  be  a  friend  to  the  king, 
our  master."  "  Slaves  only  acknowledge  a  master  in  this  coun 
try,"  retorted  the  lady,  with  spirit.  An  order  was  at  once  given 
to  quarter  the  troops  on  the  plantation,  and  then,  again  bowing, 
Tarleton  said,  "  Madame,  the  service  of  his  majesty  requires  the 
temporary  occupation  of  your  property,  and,  if  it  will  not  be  too 
great  an  inconvenience,  I  shall  take  up  my  quarters  in  your 
house."  His  tone  was  decisive.  The  lady  simply  responded, 
"  My  family  consists  of  only  myself,  my  sister,  my  child,  and  a 
few  negroes.  We  are  your  prisoners."  A  thousand  soldiers — the 
choicest  of  English  cavalry — were  soon  encamped  upon  the 
grounds.  Lieutenant  Slocumb,  the  owner  of  the  plantation,  was 
at  that  moment,  with  twelve  or  fifteen  recruits,  reconnoitering 
Cornwallis's  encampment,  little  dreaming  that  his  own  beautiful 
19 


2QO  SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [1780. 

home  was  invaded.  Mrs.  Slocumb  prepared  an  ample  dinner  for 
her  uninvited  guests.  They  especially  enjoyed  her  excellent 
peach-brandy.  Learning  that  it  was  the  product  of  the  plantation 
orchard,  an  Irish  captain  said,  "  Colonel,  when  we  conquer  this 
country,  is  it  not  to  be  divided  amongst  us  ?  "  "  Undoubtedly 
the  officers  will  receive  large  possessions  of  the  subjugated  prov 
inces/'  was  the  reply.  "  Allow  me  to  observe,"  interposed  Mrs. 
Slocumb,  "  that  the  only  land  any  British  officer  will  ever  hold  in 
this  country  will  measure  but  six  feet  by  two."  "  Excuse  me, 
madame,"  replied  Tarleton ;  "  for  your  sake  I  regret  to  say  it, 
but  this  beautiful  plantation  will  probably  be  a  ducal  seat  for 
some  of  us."  The  lady's  eyes  flashed.  "  Do  not  trouble  yourself 
about  me,"  she  retorted ;  "  my  husband  is  able  to  make  this 
anything  but  a  quiet  seat  for  a  duke  or  even  a  king."  At  this 
moment,  a  rapid  volley  of  firearms  resounded  from  the  wood  near 
at  hand. 

Mrs.  Slocumb,  who  had  been  in  an  agony  of  anxiety  lest  the 
lieutenant  should  return,  and,  unawares,  fall  into  the  enemy's 
hands,  had,  immediately  on  their  arrival,  despatched  an  old  negro 
with  a  bag  of  corn  to  a  mill  on  the  road  her  husband  must  travel, 
charging  him  to  tell  his  master  of  the  danger.  But  "  Big 
George,"  with  the  indolence  and  curiosity  incident  to  his  race, 
had  not  yet  left  the  hedge-row,  behind  which  he  was  admiring  the 
British  red-coats,  shining  helmets,  and  dashing  plumes.  By 
adroit  remarks,  Mrs.  Slocumb  had  also  contrived  to  impress 
Tarleton  with  the  idea  that  there  was  a  large  number  of  Amer 
ican  troops  in  the  vicinity.  "  You  would  not,  of  course,  be  sur 
prised  at  a  call  from  Lee,"  she  observed,  "  or  from  your  old  friend 
Colonel  Washington,  who  shook  your  hand  rather  rudely,  it  is 
said,  when  you  last  met,"  pointing,  as  she  spoke,  to  a  scar  left  by 
Washington's  sabre.  At  the  sound  of  the  firing,  all  rushed  to  the 
door,  and  Tarleton,  mounting  his  horse,  put  himself  at  the  head  of 
his  regiment.  Just  then  the  cause  of  the  disturbance  was  made 
clear.  Lieutenant  Slocumb,  coming  upon  the  scouts  Tarleton  had 
sent  out,  had  set  upon  them  with  his  little  band,  and  was  chasing 
them  up  the  avenue  to  his  own  house,  so  intent  on  his  purpose  that 
he  saw  nothing  else.  At  this  moment,  Big  George  came  to  his 
senses,  and,  rushing  before  his  master,  shouted,  "  Hold  on,  massa ! 
de  debbil  here  !  Look  you."  Slocumb  was  already  surrounded, 
but  with  wonderful  coolness  dashed  through  the  thinnest  quarter, 
scaled  the  fences,  and,  leaping  a  canal  amid  a  shower  of  balls, 


1780.]  HEROISM    OF    NANCY    HART.  2QI 

reached  in  safety  the  shelter  of  the  wood  he  had  just  left.  The 
men  started  to  pursue,  but  Tarleton,  believing  a  large  force  to  be 
hidden  there,  sounded  the  trumpet  for  recall,  and  returned  with 
his  officers  to  the  peach-brandy  and  the  coffee.  Slocumb  lived  to 
do  good  service  thereafter. 

Nancy  Hart  of  Georgia  was  one  of  the  most  remarkable  char 
acters  of  these  stirring  times.  An  Amazon  in  stature,  her  courage, 
patriotism,  wit  and  temper  were  in  proportion  to  her  altitude. 
One  evening  she  was  at  home  in  her  log-house,  with  her  children 
sitting  around  the  fire,  over  which  a  large  pot  of  soap  was  boiling. 
As  Nancy  vigorously  stirred  the  soap,  she  dispensed  to  her  family 
the  latest  news  of  the  war,  seasoned  with  her  own  spirited  sen 
timents.  Suddenly  one  of  the  children  espied  a  face  between 
the  crevices  of  the  huge  log  chimney,  and  silently  conveyed  the 
intimation  to  his  mother.  As  her  violent  whiggism  was  known 
and  hated,  she  readily  divined  that  a  tory  spy  was  at  hand.  Rat 
tling  away  with  renewed  zeal,  giving  sarcastic  pictures  of  the  dis 
comfiture  of  the  tories,  as  she  professed  to  have  just  received 
special  intelligence,  and  meantime  stirring  her  soap  with  increas 
ing  fury,  she  waited  till  the  proper  moment  arrived,  when,  quick  as 
lightning,  she  dashed  a  ladleful  of  the  boiling  liquid  plump  through 
the  crevice,  into  the  very  face  of  the  eavesdropper.  Blinded  by 
pain  and  sudden  surprise,  he  screamed  and  roared  vociferously, 
while  the  indomitable  Nancy  amused  herself  at  his  expense,  and, 
with  jibes  and  taunts,  bound  him  fast  as  her  prisoner. 

When  the  partisan  warfare  had  become  so  hot,  and  the  tories 
so  strong,  that  whigs  were  forced  to  hide  or  swing,  and  Nancy's 
husband  had  taken  to  the  canebrake  with  the  rest,  she  still 
stood  at  her  post,  her  spirits  rising  with  the  tempest.  The 
tories  at  length  gave  her  a  call,  and,  in  true  soldier  manner, 
ordered  a  repast.  "  Nancy  soon  had  the  necessary  materials 
for  a  good  feast  spread  before  them.  The  smoking  venison,  the 
hasty  hoe-cake,  and  the  fresh  honeycomb  were  sufficient  to  have 
provoked  the  appetite  of  a  gorged  epicure.  They  simultaneously 
stacked  their  arms  and  seated  themselves,  when,  with  a  cat-like 
spring,  the  dauntless  Nancy  seized  one  of  the  guns,  cocked  it,  and, 
with  a  blazing  oath,  declared  she  would  blow  out  the  brains  of  the 
first  mortal  that  offered  to  rise,  or  take  a  mouthful.  They  all  knew 
her  character  too  well  to  imagine  that  she  would  say  one  thing 
and  do  another.  '  Go/  said  she  to  her  son,  '  and  tell  the  whigs 
that  I  have  taken  six  base  tories.'  They  sat  still,  each  expecting 


292 


SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


[1780. 


to  be  offered  up,  with  doggedly  mean  countenance,  bearing  the 
marks  of  disappointed  revenge,  shame,  and  unappeased  hunger. 
Whether  the  incongruity  between  Nancy's  eyes — when  in  rage 
they  had  a  slight  obliquity — caused  each  to  imagine  himself  her 
immediate  object,  or  whether  her  commanding  attitude  and  her 
stern  and  ferocious  fixture  of  countenance  overawed  them,  or  the 
powerful  idea  of  their  non-soldierlike  conduct  or  the  certainty  of 
death  unnerved  them,  it  is  not  easy  to  determine.  They  were  soon 


NANCY   HART  AND  THE   BRITISH   SOLDIERS. 


relieved  from  her  glare,  but  only  to  be  dealt  with  according  to 
the  rules  of  the  times."  Another  account  of  this  transaction  states 
that  Nancy  shot  two  of  the  tories,  and  then  saying  "  shooting  was 
too  good  for  them,"  ordered  the  others  to  be  taken  to  a  tree  near 
by  and  hanged.  Nancy  Hart  rendered  several  signal  services  to 
the  patriots.  When  Augusta  was  in  the  hands  of  the  British,  and 
great  anxiety  was  felt  concerning  their  intentions,  she  assumed 
male  attire,  and,  feigning  insanity,  went  boldly  into  the  British 
camp,  where  she  obtained  much  valuable  information  to  bring 
back  to  the  American  commander  at  Wilkes.  At  another  time, 
on  a  similar  mission,  she  walked  to  the  Savannah  River  ;  made  a 


A,78'o6']  ATTACK    OF    HANGING    ROCK.  293 

raft  of  logs  tied  together  with  grape  vines,  crossed,  accomplished 
her  end,  and  returned  with  important  intelligence.  On  several 
occasions  she  made  single  prisoners.  Once,  having  met  a  tory, 
she  engaged  him  in  conversation,  and,  when  off  his  guard,  seized 
his  gun,  and  compelled  him  to  march  before  her  into  the  Amer 
ican  camp.  A  county  in  Georgia  now  bears  her  family  name,  and 
thus  perpetuates  her  memory. 

After  the  fall  of  Charleston  there  was  no  regular  patriot  army 
in  the  field,  but  the  partisan  bands  kept  up  the  contest.  July  I2th, 
while  one  Captain  Huck,  who  was  in  command  of  a  British 
patrol  at  Cross  Roads,  was  surrounded  by  women  who  were 
vainly  begging  the  ruffian  to  spare  their  homes,  Sumter's  troop 
dashed  suddenly  into  the  street  from  both  ends,  slew  the  captain 
and  killed  or  captured  the  entire  party.  His  numbers  increasing, 
July  30th,  this  bold  leader  ventured  to  attack  the  British  sta 
tion  at  Rocky  Mount ;  but  having  no  artillery  to  batter  down  the 
log  block-house,  was  compelled  to  give  up  the  attempt.  Seven 
days  after,  he  assaulted  the  post  at  Hanging  Rock.  His  soldiers 
had,  at  the  beginning,  only  two  rounds  of  ammunition,  and  they 
would  not  have  had  even  this  but  for  the  heroism  of  two  women. 
It  had  been  stored  in  a  house  where  a  Mrs.  Thomas  resided  with 
her  daughter  and  son-in-law.  The  enemy  having  attacked  the 
dwelling,  the  three  barricaded  the  doors,  and,  the  women  loading 
the  guns,  the  man  discharged  them  so  rapidly,  and  with  such 
effect,  that  the  British,  supposing  a  force  to  be  posted  there, 
withdrew.  At  Hanging  Rock,  as  in  many  other  engagements,  the 
patriots  soon  supplied  themselves  from  the  tories  whom  they  put 
to  flight.  At  first  Sumter  carried  all  before  him,  but  his  men  be 
coming  disorganized  by  the  liquor  they  found  in  camp,  he  drew 
off  with  his  prisoners  and  booty  when  victory  seemed  just  within 
his  grasp. 

A  young  boy  not  yet  fourteen  years  of  age  took  part  in  this 
conflict.  His  name  was  Andrew  Jackson,  the  same  who  afterward 
became  the  hero  of  many  battles,  and  the  seventh  President  of 
the  United  States. 

In  the  spring,  Washington  sent  from  his  little  army  a  de 
tachment  which  he  could  ill  spare  for  the  help  of  the  South. 
The  gallant  De  Kalb  was  ordered  thither  with  two  thousand 
Maryland  and  Delaware  Continentals.  Washington  desired  that 
Greene  should  be  appointed  to  the  Southern  army,  in  place  of 
Lincoln ;  but  Congress  unanimously  designated  Gates  for  this  ser- 


294  SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.         [July  2(5-Aug.  16, 

vice,  making  him,  moreover,  as  once  before,  independent  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  and  responsible  only  to  that  body. 

As  Gates  was  on  the  way  to  his  new  field,  he  met  General 
Charles  Lee,  who  cautioned  him  lest  his  "  Northern  laurels  should 
turn  to  Southern  willows."  But,  full  of  elation,  he  hastened  south 
ward,  vaporing  much  of  "  Burgoyning  Cornwallis,"  and  expecting 
to  end  the  war  with  another  Saratoga.  July  25th,  he  joined  the 
army  at  Deep  River.  De  Kalb  had  intended  to  march  through 
Salisbury  and  Charlotte,  a  fertile  region  abounding  in  supplies. 
Instead,  Gates  took  the  direct  route  for  Camden,  through  a  wilder 
ness  of  sand-hills  and  pine  barrens.  His  men,  eating  green  corn 
and  unripe  fruit,  became  the  prey  of  disease.  Emerging  from  this 
inhospitable  country,  he  arrived  at  Clermont,  August  I3th.  He 
had  only  about  three  thousand  men,  who  had  never  been  paraded 
together,  and  many  of  whom  were  raw  militia.  Full  of  conceit, 
however,  and  supposing  that  the  enemy  would,  of  course,  flee 
before  his  terrible  name,  he  advanced  to  meet  Lord  Cornwallis, 
who  was  then  in  command  of  the  British,  Clinton  having  returned 
to  New  York. 

Singularly,  both  generals  had  appointed  the  same  time  to 
make  a  night  attack.  While  marching  for  this  purpose,  about 
half-past  one  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th,  the  advance-guards  of 
the  two  armies  unexpectedly  encountered  each  other  in  the 
woods  near  Camden.  After  some  sharp  skirmishing,  the  main 
bodies  waited  for  day.  At  dawn,  Cornwallis  ordered  a  charge. 
The  Virginia  militia  under  Stevens,  not  knowing  how  to  use  their 
bayonets,  which  they  had  received  only  the  day  before,  fled  at  the 
first  fire.  Two-thirds  of  the  army  disappeared  without  returning 
a  shot.  Amid  the  general  rout,  a  regiment  of  North  Carolinians 
under  Dixon  refused  to  flee,  and  stood  firm  with  the  Maryland 
and  Delaware  men  under  De  Kalb.  At  last,  that  Polish  veteran 
fell,  pierced  with  eleven  wounds.  His  brave  comrades  for  a  time 
fought  desperately  over  his  body,  but  were  overwhelmed  by 
numbers.  Gates,  with  no  thought  of  those  who  were  still  bravely 
contending  on  the  field  against  such  terrible  odds,  fled  with  the 
militia,  or,  as  he  said,  "  retired."  Late  that  night,  with  a  solitary 
companion,  General  Caswell  of  North  Carolina,  he  reached  Char 
lotte.  The  next  morning,  he  kept  on  to  Hillsborough,  making, 
says  Bancroft,  two  hundred  miles  in  three  days  and  a  half.  The 
"  grand  army,"  as  it  had  been  pompously  styled,  was  irrecover 
ably  scattered. 


Aug'  1780?°*' 7<]  BATTLE    OF    KING'S    MOUNTAIN.  295 

Previous  to  the  battle,  Sumter,  having  again  emerged  from  his 
retreat  in  the  swamp,  had  gone  below  Camden  with  a  strong 
detachment  from  Gates's  army  to  capture  a  convoy  of  stores 
designed  for  the  British.  In  the  midst  of  his  success,  learning  of 
the  disaster  at  Camden,  and  seeing  his  own  perilous  position  in 
the  presence  of  a  victorious  enemy,  he  retreated  up  the  river. 
But  while  he  was  taking  a  noon-day  halt  at  Fishing  Creek,  his 
men  bathing  and  cooking,  and  he  lying  asleep  in  the  shade  of  a 
wagon,  Tarleton  burst  into  the  camp,  recovered  the  plunder  and 
prisoners,  and  scattered  or  captured  his  entire  force.  Two  days 
after,  Sumter  rode  into  Charlotte  without  hat  or  saddle. 

But  other  partisans  were  more  successful.  On  the  very  day 
of  Sumter's  defeat  at  Fishing  Creek,  Colonel  Williams,  with  the 
patriots  of  Ninety-Six,  stormed  the  British  post  at  Musgrove's 
Mill,  garrisoned  by  five  hundred  troops ;  and  the  day  Sumter 
rode  into  Charlotte,  Marion,  near  Nelson's  Ferry  on  the  Santee, 
sprang  out  of  his  covert  upon  a  convoy  of  prisoners  from  Camden 
fight,  captured  a  part  of  the  guard,  and  rescued  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Continental  soldiers  from  a  fate  worse  than  death. 

Early  in  September,  Cornwallis  marched  into  North  Carolina 
via  Charlotte  and  Salisbury,  while  Ferguson  was  ordered  to  move 
along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  on  his  way  recruiting  the  loyal 
ists  from  the  uplands  of  South  Carolina.  Presently  the  attention 
of  the  latter  was  drawn  toward  Augusta.  Clark,  with  one  hun 
dred  riflemen,  had  there  captured  the  rich  presents  designed  to 
rouse  the  Cherokees  to  take  part  in  this  struggle.  Reinforce 
ments  from  Ninety-Six,  however,  reaching  the  British,  Clark 
beat  a  hasty  retreat,  some  of  his  men  being  overtaken.  By  the 
orders  of  Brown,  the  commander  at  Augusta,  thirteen  of  these 
were  hung,  and  as  many  given  up  to  the  Indians  to  be  toma 
hawked  or  tortured. 

Ferguson,  hoping  to  cut  off  Clark's  party,  now  pressed  closer 
to  the  mountains,  where  he  met  with  an  unexpected  obstacle. 
The  patriots,  fleeing  before  his  ruthless  advance,  had  roused  the 
free  backwoodsmen  over  the  mountains  with  the  story  of  their 
wrongs.  These  had  gathered,  each  man  with  his  trusty  rifle,  a 
bag  of  bullets,  and  a  store  of  provisions  and  powder — the  latter 
made  from  nitre  found  in  the  caves,  and  charcoal  burned  by  their 
wives  on  their  own  fireplaces.  Under  Colonels  Shelby  and 
Sevier — afterward  first  governors,  respectively,  of  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee — Williams,  Cleaveland,  McDowell,  and  Campbell,  they 


296  SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [°78O7.' 

suddenly  emerged  from  the  wilderness,  bent  on  Ferguson's  de 
struction.  He  took  the  alarm,  and  hurried  eastward  toward 
Cornwallis.  The  trooper-chiefs,  selecting  nine  hundred  men  with 
the  best  horses  and  rifles,  pushed  ahead,  dismounting  only  once  in 
thirty-six  hours. 

On  the  afternoon  of  October  7th,  the  enemy  was  brought  at 
bay  on  King's  Mountain.  There  were  over  eleven  hundred,  but 
the  backwoodsmen  did  not  wait  to  count  the  odds.  Forming  into 
four  columns,  they  clambered  up  the  steep,  craggy  cliffs  from  all 
sides  at  once.  Driven  back  here  and  there  by  the  bayonets  of  the 
regulars,  they  returned  directly,  and  all  the  while  poured  in  a 
murderous  fire.  The  contest  lasted  an  hour,  when  Ferguson  fell, 
and  his  men,  despairing,  surrendered.  Four  hundred  and  fifty -six 
of  the  British  were  either  killed  or  severely  wounded,  and  six 
hundred  and  forty-eight  were  taken  prisoners.  The  American 
loss  was  only  eighty-eight  in  all.  Ten  of  the  tories,  notorious 
assassins  and  house-burners,  were  hung  by  4  the  enraged  moun 
taineers.  There  were  eleven  selected,  but  one  of  them  broke 
loose  as  they  were  being  led  to  execution,  and,  "  though  he  had 
to  make  his  way  through  a  thousand  of  the  best  marksmen  and 
horsemen  in  the  world,  such  was  the  unusual  admiration  or  feel 
ing  on  the  occasion,  not  one  would  lift  a  hand  to  stop  him." 
Campbell,  on  learning  of  this  summary  vengeance,  immediately 
put  a  stop  to  further  executions. 

The  hardy  sons  of  the  forest,  having  accomplished  their  pur 
pose,  quietly  returned  to  their  log-cabins  and  their  uneventful 
lives.  King's  Mountain  proved  another  Lexington  or  Bunker 
Hill.  Tarleton,  who  was  coming  to  Ferguson's  aid,  heard  of  the 
disaster  and  hastened  back  to  Cornwallis.  That  general,  with  no 
longer  any  thought  of  conquering  North  Carolina,  but  only  of 
getting  back  in  safety,  immediately  set  out  on  his  return.  Militia 
on  every  hand  beset  his  rear  and  flank.  Frequently  single  rifle 
men  would  ride  up  within  shot  of  the  British  column,  take 
careful  aim  with  their  unerring  pieces,  fire,  and  then,  wheeling, 
disappear  in  the  woods.  Troops  were  cut  off,  and  food  became 
scarce.  For  days  before  the  army  reached  Winnsborough,  in 
South  Carolina,  two  and  a  half  ears  of  corn  for  each  soldier  was 
the  only  ration. 

Marion  now  came  out  of  his  hiding-places  along  the  Pedee  and 
the  Black  Rivers,  and,  defeating  a  party  of  tories  who  were  in 
pursuit  of  him,  threatened  the  communications  with  Charleston. 


°C|t780?V"]  ACTIVITY    OF    MARION    AND    SUMTER.  297 

Cornwallis  at  once  sent  Tarleton  after  him.  Delighting  in  this 
commission,  he  set  off.  His  line  could  everywhere  be  traced  by  the 
ruin  he  left  behind  him.  Groups  of  houseless  women  and  children, 
whose  homes — some  of  them  spacious  and  elegant — had  been 
burned  by  his  ruthless  orders,  clustered  about  fires  in  the  open  air, 
and  in  the  chill  November  rain.  One  lady,  the  widow  of  a  brave 
general  officer,  who  was  believed  to  have  knowledge  of  Marion's 
whereabouts,  was  actually  beaten  for  not  revealing  it,  and  left 
without  a  change  of  raiment  by  the  ashes  of  her  dwelling.  At  the 
approach  of  the  enemy,  Marion  took  to  his  covert  in  the  swamp. 
Just  then,  Tarleton  was  recalled.  Sumter  had  appeared  in  the 
Northwest,  stopping  supplies  and  defeating  a  detachment  under 
Major  Wemyss,  who  had  ventured  to  attack  his  camp  at  Fishdam, 
and  now  menaced  Ninety-Six.  Tarleton  quickly  turned  to  meet 
the  "  Game-cock."  Sumter,  being  apprised  of  this,  chose  a  strong 
post  at  Blackstock  Hill,  where  he  repulsed  the  British  attack 
with  heavy  loss.  The  patriot  chief  was,  however,  severely 
wounded,  and  his  men  retired,  carrying  their  commander  with 
them.  Marion  proved  a  source  of  constant  terror  to  the  British 
army  at  the  South.  It  is  said,  indeed,  that  Cornwallis  himself 
had  an  especial  dread  of  Marion,  and,  when  outside  of  Charleston, 
never  sat  down  in  a  strange  house,  but  always  remained  on  the 
piazza  or  under  a  tree,  that  he  might  constantly  watch  for  this 
always-to-be-expected  foe. 

No  military  movements  of  great  importance  took  place  at  the 
North  during  this  year.  A  few  marauding  excursions  only  are 
worthy  of  mention.  In  the  winter,  New  York  Bay  and  the  adja 
cent  rivers  were  frozen  over,  so  that  the  city  was  open  to  land 
attack,  artillery  being  able  to  move  anywhere  upon  the  ice.  It 
was  expected  that  Washington  would  take  advantage  of  this  op 
portunity,  but  the  condition  of  his  army  forbade.  On  the  night 
of  January  I4th,  General  Stirling  attempted  to  surprise  a  British 
post  on  Staten  Island,  but  failed,  and  came  back  with  many  of  his 
men  severely  frost-bitten.  Eleven  days  after,  Knyphausen,  in 
command  at  New  York  during  the  absence  of  Clinton  in  South 
Carolina,  retorted  by  two  expeditions ;  one,  which  crossed  over 
to  Newark,  captured  a  company  of  soldiers  stationed  there,  and 
burned  the  Academy ;  and  another,  which  surprised  the  picket  at 
Elizabethtown,  plundered  the  inhabitants,  and  set  fire  to  the  church 
and  town-hall. 

The  pastor  of  the  church  which  was  destroyed  was  Rev.  James 


298 


SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


TFeb,  2, 
L  I78O. 


Caldwell,  known  among  the  whigs  as  a  "  rousing  gospel  preacher," 
and  among  the  tories  as  a  "  rebel  firebrand."  Laying  his  pistols 
on  the  desk  beside  the  Bible,  he  was  wont  at  times  to  strangely 
mingle  patriotism  with  piety.  He  was  a  great  favorite  in  the 
Jerseys.  His  bell  rang  the  alarm  when  the  enemy  approached, 
and  under  his  roof  the  militia  gathered  and  the  wounded  were 
nursed. 

February  2d,  a  detachment  set  out  by  night  from  New  York 
in  sleighs,  to  surprise  Young's  house,  near  White  Plains.  This 

was  a  stone  building  gar 
risoned  by  the  patriots, 
and  commanded  a  road 
by  which  provisions 
would  naturally  pass 
along  the  valley  of  the 
Neperan  to  New  York. 
The  snow  was  two  feet 
deep,  and  the  British 
were  finally  compelled 
to  leave  their  sleighs 
and  trudge  along  on  foot. 
The  alarm  was  given,  and 
the  Westchester  farmers 
quickly  gathered  ;  but 
after  a  sharp  skirmish, 
the  post  was  stormed 
and  the  house  fired.  The 
expedition  got  back  to 

King's  Bridge  after  an  absence  of  only  twenty-four  hours.  The 
prisoners  were  hurried  into  the  jail  and  the  sugar-house,  to  en 
dure  the  horrors  of  British  captivity.  Few  ever  returned  home. 
These  expeditions  illustrate  the  way  in  which  the  neighborhood 
of  New  York,  especially  the  Neutral  Ground,  was  constantly  har 
ried  through  the  war. 

In  the  summer  the  American  army  was  threatened  with  star 
vation.  Finally,  two  Connecticut  regiments  declared  their  deter 
mination  to  either  go  home  or  get  food  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
It  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  Washington  could  induce 
them  to  return  to  duty.  In  this  emergency,  Robert  Morris  sent 
to  camp  three  million  rations.  Soldiers'  relief  associations  were 
also  organized  by  the  women  of  Philadelphia.  Those  who  had 


THE   OLD  SUGAR-HOUSE,   LIBERTY  STREET. 


JT7e80.8']  KNYPHAUSEN    IN    THE    JERSEYS.  299 

money  gave  it;  the  poor  contributed  their  work.  Twenty-two 
hundred  shirts,  we  are  told,  were  thus  manufactured,  on  each  of 
which  was  inscribed  the  name  of  the  fair  maker. 

Knyphausen,  learning  of  the  disaffection  of  the  army,  with 
about  five  thousand  men,  made  a  bold  push  into  the  Jerseys. 
The  advance  landed  at  Elizabethtown  before  daylight,  June  6th. 
As  the  troops  came  to  a  fork  in  the  road,  a  solitary  sentinel  fired 
into  the  dimly-discerned  mass.  That  chance-shot  mortally 
wounded  a  British  general.  Soon  the  booming  of  heavy  guns 
and  the  flashing  of  signal-fires  spread  the  alarm  over  the  coun 
try.  The  yeomanry,  hastily  forming,  fired  upon  the  enemy  from 
behind  fences  and  trees.  The  British,  reaching  Connecticut 
Farms,  sacked  and  burned  the  town.  The  wife  of  Reverend 
James  Caldwell,  the  "  rebel  fire-brand,"  was  deliberately  shot 
through  the  window  of  the  parsonage,  while,  it  is  said,  kneeling 
by  her  bedside,  holding  the  hand  of  her  little  child  and  engaged 
in  prayer.  After  the  army  had  passed,  the  neighbors  with  diffi 
culty  rescued  the  body  from  the  ruins  of  the  burning  building. 
The  tragical  fate  of  this  estimable  woman  raised  a  desire  for  ven 
geance  similar  to  that  produced  by  the  death  of  Miss  McCrea, 
three  years  before. 

Washington  had  now  arrived  and  taken  position  across  the 
Rahway,  and  the  troops,  which  the  British  expected  to  find 
thoroughly  demoralized,  were  standing  in  line,  ready  to  resist  the 
passage  of  the  river.  Knyphausen  recoiled  from  their  firm 
aspect.  Several  days  of  uncertainty  ensued.  Clinton  having 
returned  from  the  South,  and  threatening  a  movement  up  the 
Hudson  River,  Washington  retired  to  Rockaway  Bridge.  It 
was,  however,  only  a  feint  on  the  part  of  the  British,  and  Kny 
phausen  at  once  advanced  upon  Springfield.  Greene,  who  was  in 
command,  gallantly  defended  the  bridges  across  the  Rahway. 
On  that  day,  says  Irving,  "  no  one  showed  more  ardor  in  the  fight 
than  Caldwell,  the  chaplain.  The  image  of  his  murdered  wife 
was  before  his  eyes.  Finding  the  men  in  want  of  wadding,  he 
galloped  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  brought  thence  a  quan 
tity  of  Watts's  psalm  and  hymn  books,  which  he  distributed  for 
the  purpose  among  the  soldiers.  '  Now,  boys,'  cried  he,  '  put 
Watts  into  them  ! '  " 

The  advance  of  the  enemy  was  finally  checked.  Knyphausen, 
not  daring  to  hazard  the  difficult  passes  beyond,  again  aban 
doned  his  attempt.  Ere  his  troops  left  Springfield,  they  burned 


300  SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [1780. 

nearly  the  entire  village.  During  the  retreat,  they  were  inces 
santly  harassed  by  the  militia,  while  Light-Horse  Harry  hung 
on  their  rear.  It  was  the  last  time  the  British  set  foot  in  New 
Jersey. 

We  now  turn  to  a  dark  page  in  the  history  of  the  War  for 
Independence.  Benedict  Arnold,  whose  bravery  at  Quebec, 
Ridgefield,  and  Saratoga  had  excited  such  universal  admiration, 
was  stationed  at  Philadelphia  while  his  wound  received  at  the 
last-named  battle  was  healing.  Though  considered  at  heart  a 
true  friend  of  the  country,  he  was  known  to  have  been  greatly 
dissatisfied  because,  in  the  early  part  of  the  war,  his  name  was 
omitted  from  the  list  of  the  first  five  major-generals  appointed  by 
Congress.  After  his  gallant  action  at  Ridgefield,  he  was  commis 
sioned  major-general,  but  was  placed  below  the  previous  five. 
Saratoga,  however,  brought  him  the  rank  he  had  claimed,  and  he 
was  supposed  to  be  content.  Having  married  a  Miss  Shippen,  a 
tory  lady  of  great  beauty  and  accomplishments,  he  launched  into 
a  style  of  living  far  beyond  his  income.  This  he  endeavored  to 
support  by  engaging  in  various  commercial  schemes,  by  pri 
vateering  speculations,  and  even  by  sharing  in  the  dishonest  gains 
of  sutlers.  Haughty  and  overbearing  in  his  manner  and  sordid 
in  his  disposition,  he  rendered  himself  exceedingly  unpopular, 
and  on  one  occasion  he  was  mobbed  in  the  streets  of  Philadelphia. 

The  council  of  Philadelphia  finally  preferred  charges  of  mis 
conduct  against  him  which  were  fully  substantiated,  and  in 
January,  1780,  he  was  sentenced  to  be  reprimanded  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief.  Washington  performed  the  disagreeable  duty 
with  exceeding  leniency,  but  Arnold  made  this  instance  of  what 
he  called  his  country's  ingratitude  a  pretext  for  treason.  It  is 
now  known  that  for  nearly  a  year  previously  he  had  been  in  com 
munication  with  the  enemy.  The  way  to  this  is  supposed  to  have 
been  paved  by  the  fact  that  Miss  Shippen,  at  her  father's  house, 
had  become  well  acquainted  with  Major  Andre,  General  Clin 
ton's  aide-de-camp,  both  having  been  prominent  characters  in 
the  famous  mischianza  pageant  at  Philadelphia.  In  the  corres 
pondence,  Arnold  used  the  pseudonym  of  "  Gustavus,"  and 
Major  Andr6  that  of  "  John  Anderson." 

Bent  upon  gratifying  at  once  his  revenge  and  his  love  of 
money,  Arnold  determined  to  betray  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy 
the  fortress  of  West  Point,  then  the  most  important  position  in 
the  country,  and  the  main  depot  of  supplies.  He  accordingly 


~\  THE    TREASON    OF    BENEDICT    ARNOLD.  301 

secured  from  Washington  the  command  of  this  post,  on  the  plea 
that  his  wound  would  not  permit  his  undertaking  active  service. 
The  plot  being  ripe,  Arnold  requested  an  interview  with  a  "  person 
fully  authorized  "  to  arrange  the  details.  Major  Andre  accord 
ingly  ascended  the  Hudson,  and  went  on  board  the  British  sloop- 
of-war  Vulture,  then  lying  at  anchor  in  the  river.  Just  before 
dawn  on  the  morning  of  September  22d,  he  landed  at  the  foot 
of  Clove  Mountain,  where  Arnold  was  waiting  in  the  bushes 
to  receive  him.  The  two  repaired  to  the  house  of  one  Smith, 
within  the  American  lines,  where  they  remained  until  late  in  the 
day. 

The  plan  agreed  upon  was  for  Clinton  to  send  a  strong  force 
to  attack  the  works  at  West  Point,  while  Arnold  was  to  scatter 
the  garrison,  so  that  no  effective  defence  would  be  possible. 
While  their  conference  progressed,  fire  had  been  opened  on  the 
Vulture  from  a  small  battery  on  Teller's  Point,  and  she  had 
dropped  down  the  river.  Andre  was  therefore  compelled  to 
return  to  New  York  by  land.  Furnished  with  a  pass  from 
Arnold  and  a  citizen's  dress,  he  accordingly  set  out  under  the 
guidance  of  Smith.  Everything  passed  off  well.  A  little  distance 
north  of  Pine's  Bridge,  over  the  Croton,  Smith  returned,  assuring 
Andre  that  he  would  now  meet  only  parties  of  British  marauders, 
"  Cow  Boys,"  as  they  were  called. 

Andre,  pressing  forward,  full  of  satisfaction  over  the  result  of 
his  hazardous  undertaking,  had  nearly  reached  Tarrytown,  when 
he  was  suddenly  stopped  by  a  small  scouting  party  of  three  men, 
named  Paulding,  Van  Wart,  and  Williams.  Paulding  demanded 
which  way  he  was  going.  Expecting  to  meet  only  British  so  near 
the  lines,  Andr<§  incautiously  replied,  "  I  hope,  gentlemen,  you 
belong  to  our  party."  "Which  party?"  was  asked.  "The 
lower  party,"  answered  Andr£.  Paulding  giving  an  affirmative 
response,  Andre  then  said,  "  I  am  a  British  officer  out  on  particu 
lar  business.  I  hope  you  will  not  detain  me  a  moment."  The 
secret  was  now  out,  and  he  was  at  once  ordered  to  dismount.  In 
dismay,  he  showed  Arnold's  pass.  At  first  this  would  have  satis 
fied  his  captors  ;  now  it  was  too  late.  Upon  searching  him,  they 
found  in  his  stockings,  among  other  papers  in  Arnold's  handwrit 
ing,  a  plan  of  the  fortifications  at  West  Point.  "  This  is  a  spy," 
exclaimed  Paulding.  Andr£  now  offered  any  sum  they  might  de 
mand  to  secure  his  release.  The  incorruptible  patriots  refused  the 
bribe,  and,  taking  him  to  North  Castle,  left  him  in  the  hands  of 


302 


SIXTH    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


rSept.  25, 
L    I78O. 


Lieutenant-Colonel  Jameson.  Having  done  their  duty,  they 
departed,  without  asking  any  reward,  or  even  leaving  their 
names.  With  inconceivable  stupidity,  Jameson  wrote  to  Arnold, 
informing  him  of  the  arrest. 

Arnold  was  at  breakfast  when  he  received  the  note.      Calling 
aside  his  wife,  he  told  her  of  his  peril.      Terrified  by  his  words, 


V 


CAPTURE   OF   MAJOR   ANDRE. 


she  fainted.  Kissing  his  boy,  who  lay  asleep  in  the  cradle,  he 
darted  out  of  the  house,  mounted  a  horse,  by  an  unfrequented 
path  reached  the  river,  jumped  into  his  boat,  and  was  rowed  to 
the  Vulture.  Here  he  basely  delivered  up  his  oarsmen  as  prison 
ers  of  war.  Clinton,  on  hearing  of  the  fact,  at  once  ordered  them 
to  be  released. 

Washington  arrived  a  few  hours  after  Arnold's  escape. 
"  Whom  can  we  trust  now  ? "  was  his  exclamation  when  he 
received  the  startling  news.  Andre  was  tried  by  court-martial, 
and  convicted  as  a  spy.  His  sad  fate  awakened  universal  inter 
est,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  secure  his  release.  But  the 
inexorable  laws  of  war  admitted  no  pardon.  As  a  last  favor, 
Andr6  besought  that  he  might  die  as  a  soldier  rather  than  as  a 
criminal.  This,  too,  the  custom  of  both  sides  forbade.  His  letter 


?780.']  EXECUTION    OF    MAJOR    ANDREA  303 

to  Washington,  in  which  he  touchingly  preferred  this  request,  has 
been  thus  beautifully  paraphrased  by  Willis  : 

"  It  is  not  the  fear  of  death 

That  damps  my  brow  ; 
It  is  not  for  another  breath 

I  ask  thee  now  ; 
I  can  die  with  a  lip  unstirred, 

And  a  quiet  heart — 
Let  but  this  prayer  be  heard 

Ere  I  depart. 

"  I  can  give  up  my  mother's  look — 

My  sister's  kiss  ; 
I  can  think  of  love — yet  brook 

A  death  like  this  ! 
I  can  give  up  the  young  fame 

I  burned  to  win  ; 
All— but  the  spotless  name 

I  glory  in. 

"  Thine  is  the  power  to  give, 

Thine  to  deny, 
Joy  for  the  hour  I  live, 

Calmness  to  die. 
By  all  the  brave  should  cherish, 

By  my  dying  breath, 
I  ask  that  I  may  perish 

By  a  soldier's  death." 

The  sentence  was  executed  at  Tappan  October  2d.  Major  Tall- 
madge,  who  accompanied  him,  says,  "  When  he  came  in  sight  of 
the  gibbet,  he  appeared  to  be  startled,  and  enquired  with  some 
emotion  whether  he  was  not  to  be  shot.  Being  informed  that  the 
mode  first  appointed  for  his  death  could  not  consistently  be 
altered,  he  exclaimed,  *  How  hard  is  my  fate ! '  but  immediately 
added,  '  it  will  soon  be  over/  I  then  shook  hands  with  him  under 
the  gallows  and  retired."  Having  been  given  an  opportunity  to 
speak,  he  simply  said,  "  I  pray  you  to  bear  witness  that  I  meet 
my  fate  like  a  brave  man." 

Much  sympathy  was  felt  for  this  unfortunate  young  officer, 
who  was  so  vastly  superior  to  the  traitor  who  was  the  cause  of  his 
ignoble  death.  Andr£  was  brilliant  and  accomplished,  an  artist  and 
a  scholar.  He  had  written  some  spicy  satirical  poems  on  military 
events.  The  closing  verse  of  one,  entitled  "  The  Cow  Chase," 
wherein  Lee  and  Wayne  are  the  ludicrous  heroes,  runs  thus : 


304  SIXTH   YEAR   OF   THE   REVOLUTION.  [°{78oPf 

"  And  now  I've  closed  my  epic  strain, 

I  tremble  as  I  show  it, 
Lest  this  same  warrio-drover  Wayne 
Should  ever  catch  the  poet." 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence  that  the  last  canto  of  this  poem  was 
published  the  very  day  of  Andre's  arrest,  and  that  General 
Wayne  commanded  the  division  of  the  army  at  Tappan,  when  the 
ill-starred  satirist  proved  his  mock  fears  to  be  sad  prophecies. 

Arnold  received,  as  the  reward  of  his  treachery,  six  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifteen  pounds  and  a  major-general's  commis 
sion  in  the  British  army.  The  fame  of  his  gallant  deeds  was 
forever  hidden  by  the  memory  of  his  base  deceit,  and  he  was 
henceforth  despised  alike  by  Americans  and  British. 

A  curious  attempt  was  made  by  Washington  to  get  possession 
of  Arnold.  The  agent  employed  was  John  Champe,  sergeant- 
major  in  Lee's  cavalry.  His  first  step  was  a  pretended  deser 
tion.  Lee  withheld  pursuit  as  long  as  possible  without  exciting 
suspicion,  but  the  vigilant  officer  of  the  day  discovered  Champe's 
absence  almost  immediately.  Obliged  to  simulate  an  ardent 
desire  to  overtake  the  culprit,  Lee,  though  taxing  his  wits  for 
causes  of  delay,  could  not  give  Champe  more  than  an  hour's 
start.  The  chase  was  hot,  and  twice  the  fleeing  deserter  was 
nearly  in  the  clutches  of  his  pursuers  ;  but  at  last  he  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  river,  and,  swimming  for  his  life,  was  taken  on  board 
a  British  galley.  He  was  referred  to  General  Arnold,  who  was 
forming  an  American  Legion,  mostly  composed  of  renegades. 
Arnold  made  him  recruiting-sergeant,  which  ensured  him  frequent 
access  to  his  house.  A  plan  was  laid  with  two  disguised  patriots 
like  himself,  to  whom  he  had  brought  letters  of  introduction,  to 
seize  and  gag  Arnold  in  his  garden,  where  he  walked  every  night 
about  twelve  o'clock.  They  were  then  to  convey  him  to  the 
river,  as  a  drunken  companion,  and  row  him  over  to  the  Jersey 
shore.  All  was  in  readiness.  The  night  arrived,  and  Lee,  who 
had  been  kept  informed  of  affairs,  waited  with  three  dragoons,  in 
the  wood  near  Hoboken,  to  convey  the  traitor  to  camp.  Hour 
after  hour  passed,  and  no  boat  approached.  Day  broke,  and  the 
disappointed  party  went  back  alone.  A  few  days  afterward,  a 
letter  from  one  of  Champe's  associates  explained  the  failure  of  the 
plot.  Only  the  day  before  the  night  fixed  for  its  execution, 
Arnold  removed  his  quarters,  and  Champe,  instead  of  crossing 
the  Hudson  with  his  prize,  as  he  had  fondly  hoped,  was  on  board 


Oct.,  1 
I780.J 


CHAMPE'S    ADVENTURE. 


305 


one  of  the  British  transports,  from  whence  he  never  departed 
till  Arnold  landed  his  troops  in  Virginia.  When,  at  last,  he 
effected  his  escape  and  rejoined  his  old  regiment,  his  comrades 
were  not  a  little  surprised  at  the  joyous  reception  given  him  by 
Lee.  The  truth  soon  became  known,  and  the  long-reprobated 
deserter  assumed  his  true  place  in  the  hearts  of  his  fellow-soldiers 
as  a  hero  and  a  patriot.  Lest,  in  the  vicissitudes  of  war,  he 
might  fall  into  the  enemy's  hands  and  die  on  a  gibbet,  Washing 
ton,  with  distinguished  marks  of  esteem,  gave  him  a  discharge 
from  the  service. 

At  the  close  of  the  campaign  of  1778,  Lafayette,  having  been 
granted  leave  of  absence,  at  the  request  of  Washington  returned 
to  France.  He  was  there  received  with  every  mark  of  respect 
and  consideration.  He  was  almost  immediately  called  to  the 
palace,  the  queen  being  anxious  to  hear  about  her  "  Dear  Ameri 
cans."  "It  is  fortunate,"  said  Maurepas,  the  minister,  "that 
Lafayette  did  not  wish  to  strip  Versailles  of  its  furniture  to  send  to 
America."  Having  gained  a  promise  of  assistance  for  the  United 
States,  he  rejoined  Washington,  May  11,  1780.  He  brought  the 
commander-in-chief  a  commission  as  lieutenant-general  of  the 
army  of  France  and  vice-admiral  of  its  navy.  July  loth,  a  French 
fleet,  carrying  Rochambeau  and  six  thousand  soldiers,  arrived  at 
Newport.  We  shall  hear  of  them  the  next  year  at  Yorktown. 


MONUMENT   AT   TARRYTOVVN. 


20 


CHAPTER     VIII. 


THE  LAST 


OF   THE   (REVOLUTION—  1781. 


HE  value  of  the  Continental  cur 
rency  had  now  sunk  so  low  that 
it  was  said  that  a  "  wagon-load  of 
the  scrip  would  hardly  purchase 
a  wagon-load  of  provisions,  while 
one  going  to  trade  was  forced 
to  carry  his  money  in  a  market- 
basket."  Destitute  of  food  and 
clothing,  and  without  pay  for  a 
year,  thirteen  hundred  of  the 
Pennsylvania  troops,  consisting 
principally  of  Irish  immigrants, 
encamped  at  Morristown,  broke 
into  open  revolt  on  the  night  of  the  New-Year,  and  left  camp 
with  the  avowed  purpose  of  compelling  Congress  to  redress  their 
wrongs.  General  Wayne  confronted  them  with  his  loaded  pistols, 
but,  with  their  bayonets  at  his  breast,  they  declared,  "  We  love  and 
respect  you,  but  if  you  fire  you  are  a  dead  man.  We  are  not 
going  to  the  enemy,  as  you  would  soon  see  if  they  should  appear, 
for  we  should  fight  under  you  as  bravely  as  ever."  Clinton  sent 
his  agents  among  them  offering  heavy  bounties  for  desertion. 
The  mutineers  indignantly  replied,  "  We  are  not  Arnolds  !  "  and 
turned  them  over  to  Wayne,  who,  being  a  great  favorite,  was 
allowed  to  follow  the  march.  On  being  tendered  a  reward  for 
delivering  up  these  spies,  they  replied,  "  We  ask  no  pay  for 
placing  our  country  above  its  enemies  ;  we  only  demand  justice 
in  view  of  our  past  service  and  our  necessities." 

Reed,  then  president  of  Pennsylvania,  finally  settled  the  diffi 
culty  by  discharging  those  who  professed  to  have  served  their 
time,  the  State  making  arrangements  to  pay  and  clothe  the  re- 


Jfg;;]  REVOLT    OF    THE    CONTINENTAL    TROOPS.  307 

mainder.  It  was  afterward  found  that  the  men  had  sworn  falsely 
as  to  their  terms  of  enlistment  in  order  to  secure  their  discharge. 

The  New  Jersey  troops,  encouraged  by  the  success  of  the 
Pennsylvania  line,  followed  the  example.  Washington  imme 
diately  marched  some  New  England  regiments  from  West  Point, 
which,  being  composed  of  "  native  Americans  and  freeholders, 
or  sons  of  freeholders,"  remained  true.  The  revolt  was  quickly 
subdued,  and  two  of  the  mutineers  were  shot,  their  own  com 
panions  being  forced  to  act  as  executioners. 

In  this  emergency,  an  agent  was  sent  to  France  in  order  to 
secure  a  loan.  Yet,  as  Bancroft  well  remarks,  that  country  was 
poorer  in  proportion  to  its  population  than  the  United  States. 
All  that  was  lacking  here  was  a  powerful  government  to  organize 
the  strength  of  the  country.  In  February,  Robert  Morris  was 
appointed  financial  agent,  and  by  freely  using  his  private  credit 
he  succeeded  in  restoring  confidence  in  the  promises  of  Congress 
to  pay  its  honest  debts.  At  his  suggestion,  the  Bank  of  North 
America  was  established,  and  by  careful  management  he  was  able 
to  redeem  its  bills  with  gold  whenever  presented. 

March  ist  of  this  year  was  a  notable  day.  Maryland,  the  last 
of  the  thirteen  States,  then  ratified  the  articles  of  confederation, 
thus  consummating  the  Federal  Union. 

The  defeat  of  Gates  at  Camden  was  fatal  to  his  ambition. 
Soon  alter,  General  Greene  was  appointed  his  successor,  but 
subject  to  the  orders  of  the  commander-in-chief.  Thus,  for  the 
first  time,  was  the  true  position  of  Washington  recognized. 
Light-Horse  Harry  with  his  legion,  three  hundred  and  fifty  in 
number,  was  ordered  to  the  Carolinas.  Even  this  reinforcement 
could  ill  be  spared.  Greene,  on  his  arrival,  reorganized  the  army 
and  established  his  camp  at  Cheraw,  on  the  Pedee.  Morgan,  of 
whom  we  have  not  heard  much  since  the  brilliant  day  at  Saratoga, 
was  stationed  with  a  thousand  men  near  Broad  River. 

An  exploit  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Washington's  now  greatly 
encouraged  the  men.  Scouring  the  country  with  a  troop  of  light- 
horse,  he  came  across  a  body  of  loyalists  under  the  tory  Colonel 
Rudgley.  They  were  strongly  posted  in  a  large  log  barn,  fortified 
by  entrenchments  and  an  abattis.  Knowing  the  weak  character 
of  his  opponent,  Washington  fixed  a  pine  log — shaped  and  painted 
to  look  like  a  field-piece — on  the  front  wheels  of  a  wagon,  dis 
mounted  part  of  his  troops  to  appear  like  infantry,  displayed  his 
cavalry,  leveled  the  deadly  pine-cannon  on  the  log  castle,  and 


308  THE    LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [Jf78|7' 

then  sent  in  a  flag  demanding  instant  surrender.  The  affrighted 
colonel  begged  for  quarter,  and  surrendered  his  garrison  of  one 
hundred  and  twelve  men  at  discretion.  Cormvallis,  mentioning 
the  event  in  a  letter  to  Tarleton,  dryly  added,  "  Rudgley  will  not 
be  made  a  brigadier." 

In  order  to  cut  off  Morgan,  whose  activity  threatened  his 
flank,  Cornwallis  ordered  Tarleton  to  attack  him  in  front,  while  he 
marched  northward  between  the  Broad  and  the  Catawba  Rivers, 
and  severed  his  communications  with  Greene.  Morgan  awaited 
Tarleton's  coming  at  the  Cowpens,  so  called  because  of  an  enclo 
sure  at  that  place  used  by  the  neighboring  farmers  for  herding 
their  cattle,  which  in  that  mild  climate  roamed  wild  through  the 
fields  during  the  entire  year.  Before  daylight  on  the  morning 
of  January  I7th,  being  informed  by  his  spies  that  Tarleton  was 
near,  he  awakened  his  men,  breakfasted,  and  then  put  them  quietly 
in  post.  The  British  coming  on  impetuously,  the  militia  who 
were  in  Morgan's  front  line  yielded  after  a  sharp  resistance.  The 
Continentals,  however,  stood  firm.  Being  at  length  outflanked 
by  the  superior  numbers  of  the  enemy,  they  fell  back  to  take  a 
new  position.  The  English,  thinking  the  day  their  own,  rushed 
forward,  when,  suddenly,  the  Americans  faced  about,  poured  in  a 
terrible  volley  at  only  thirty  yards  distance,  and  then  charged 
with  the  bayonet.  The  British  were  driven  pell-mell.  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel  Washington,  with  his  cavalry,  kept  up  the  pursuit  for 
twenty  miles.  In  the  eagerness  of  the  chase,  he  got  far  in  advance 
of  his  regiment,  when  three  officers  wheeled  upon  him.  Wash 
ington  owed  his  life  to  a  sergeant  who  wounded  one,  and  a  little 
waiter-boy  who  shot  a  second.  Tarleton,  the  third,  is  said  to 
have  been  wounded  by  Washington  himself. 

This  defeat  was  a  source  of  great  mortification  to  Tarleton. 
He  was  occasionally  reminded  of  it  in  a  very  disagreeable  manner. 
At  one  time,  after  having  indulged  in  much  braggart  talk  about 
his  own  gallantry,  he  remarked  to  a  whig  lady :  "  I  should  like  to 
see  your  far-famed  hero,  Colonel  Washington."  "Your  wish, 
Colonel,  might  have  been  fairly  gratified,"  was  the  prompt  reply, 
"  had  you  ventured  to  look  behind  you  after  the  battle  at  Cow- 
pens."  A  still  more  pointed  retort  was  given  him  by  a  Mrs.  Jones, 
to  whom  he  observed,  "  I  have  been  told  that  Colonel  Washington 
is  so  ignorant  a  fellow  that  he  can  hardly  write  his  own  name." 
"Ah,  Colonel,"  she  replied,  "  but  no  one  knows  better  than  your 
self  that  he  can  make  his  mark." 


Jf7n8,17']  BATTLE    OF    COWPENS.  309 

The  American  loss  at  Cowpens  was  only  seventy-two,  while 
that  of  the  English  exceeded  eight  hundred,  besides  material  of 
war.  Cornwallis,  hearing  of  the  disaster,  put  his  troops  in  light 
marching  order,  burned  the  baggage,  himself  setting  the  example, 
and  started  in  hot  haste  to  punish  the  victors  and  recapture  the 
prisoners.  Morgan,  anticipating  this,  had  destroyed  what  booty 
he  could  not  carry  off,  and  was  already  in  full  march  for  the 
Catawba.  So  keen,  however,  was  Cornwallis's  pursuit  that  the 
Americans  had  but  just  crossed  the  river  when  the  British  van  ap 
peared  on  the  opposite  bank.  That  night  it  rained  heavily,  and 
the  water  rose  so  high  that  the  impatient  Cornwallis  was  kept 
waiting  till  the  third  day. 

Meanwhile  Greene  joined  his  faithful  lieutenant,  and  took  com 
mand.  The  main  body  of  his  army  was  ordered  to  meet  him  at 
Guilford  Court-House,  to  which  point  he  now  hurried  Morgan's 
men.  At  the  Yadkin,  just  at  eve,  February  3d,  the  British  advance 
was  again  on  his  heels ;  but  during  the  night  the  rain  made  the 
river  unfordable.  Heaven  smiled  on  the  patriots  and  they  took 
heart.  Cornwallis  lost  two  days  in  going  up  the  river  to  find  a 
crossing.  He  was  soon,  however,  again  in  full  pursuit.  Now 
began  a  race  on  parallel  roads  for  the  fords  of  the  Dan — seventy 
miles  away.  Colonel  Williams,  with  the  flower  of  the  light  troops, 
covered  the  march.  Greene  reached  the  river  first,  and  on  the 
1 5th  of  February  Cornwallis  arrived  only  to  find  that  the  Amer 
ican  rear-guard  had  crossed  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  before. 
Every  face  in  the  patriot  army  was  lighted  with  joy  when  their 
escape  was  certain.  Halting  only  for  one  meal  per  day,  sleeping 
but  six  hours  in  forty-eight,  with  only  a  blanket  for  four  men, 
shoeless  and  ragged,  they  had  fairly  beaten  the  enemy  by  out 
running  him.  Greene  himself,  in  his  all-comprehensive  care  of 
the  army,  had  hardly  slept  four  hours  in  as  many  days. 

One  night  during  this  famous  retreat,  Greene  alighted  at  the 
Salisbury  inn,  after  a  hard  day's  ride  through  mud  and  rain. 
The  army  physician,  who  had  charge  of  the  sick  and  wounded 
prisoners,  met  him  at  the  door,  and  inquired  after  his  well-being. 
"  Fatigued,  hungry,  cold,  and  penniless,"  was  the  heavy-hearted 
reply.  The  patriotic  landlady,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Steele,  overheard 
the  words.  Lighting  a  cheerful  fire,  she  spread  a  warm  supper 
before  him,  and  then,  quietly  producing  two  bags  of  specie,  her 
hoarded  treasure,  "  Take  these,"  she  said  ;  "  you  will  want  them, 
and  I  can  do  without  them."  It  is  hard  to  decide  which  was 


3io 


THE  LAST  YEAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


TFcb.  17-25, 
I       1781. 


the  happier,  the  noble-hearted  giver  or  the  relieved  receiver. 
Cheered  and  comforted,  Greene  renewed  his  journey  with  a 
lightened  heart. 

The  troops  lay  panting  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  river  for  a 
day.     Cornwallis  then  fell  back  to  Hillsborough.     The  waving  of 


MRS.    STEELE   AND   GENERAL   GREENE. 


a  handkerchief  by  a  patriot  woman,  under  the  cover  of  the  oppo 
site  bank,  was  the  signal  which  announced  his  retreat.  The 
tables  were  then  quickly  turned.  Light  troops  at  once  recrossed 
the  Dan,  and  Greene  himself  soon  took  the  field.  The  British 
general  wished  to  force  him  to  battle,  but  for  seven  days  Greene 
eluded  him,  each  night  changing  his  camp,  though  at  no  time 
over  ten  miles  distant.  Lee  and  Pickens  constantly  scoured  the 
country,  covering  Greene's  movements,  obtaining  accurate  intel 
ligence,  and  repressing  the  royalists.  While  hunting  Tarleton 
through  the  woods  beyond  the  Haw  River,  they  fell  in  with  a 
body  of  three  hundred  tories,  who  mistook  them  for  the  British. 
Lee  rode  down  their  line,  congratulated  them  on  their  appear 
ance,  grasped  their  colonel  by  the  hand,  and  was  about  to  explain 


M|78|15']  BATTLE    OF    GUILFORD    COURT-HOUSE.  311 

the  true  state  of  the  case,  and  demand  that  they  should  go  to 
their  homes  or  join  the  patriots,  when  firing  suddenly  broke  out. 
Lee  was  forced  to  charge,  and  ninety  of  the  royalists  were  cut 
down,  some  of  them  while  crying,  "  We  are  your  friends.  God 
save  the  king." 

March  i5th,  Greene,  being  reinforced,  determined  to  give 
Cornwallis  battle  near  Guilford  Court-House.  He  had  about 
three  thousand  six  hundred  men,  nearly  twice  as  many  as  his 
antagonist,  but  a  large  part  were  raw  militia.  The  Americans 
were  drawn  up  in  three  lines,  several  hundred  yards  apart ;  the 
first  being  composed  of  North  Carolina  volunteers,  the  second  of 
Virginia  riflemen,  and  the  third  of  Continentals.  The  British  at 
once  advanced  to  the  charge.  Half  of  the  militia  broke  without 
firing  a  shot.  Lee  and  Washington  only,  on  the  flanks,  stood 
their  ground  long  after  the  centre  of  their  line  was  occupied  by 
the  enemy.  The  second  line,  riflemen  used  to  backwoods  fight 
ing,  held  their  position  bravely  till  driven  from  it  by  the  bayo 
net.  The  Continentals  fought  stubbornly.  At  last  the  right 
seemed  weakened,  and  Greene,  not  wishing  to  hazard  anything, 
brought  up  his  reserve  to  cover  the  retreat.  The  English  were 
too  exhausted  to  pursue.  The  American  loss  was  four  hundred 
and  nineteen,  and  the  British  five  hundred  and  seventy  men. 
That  night,  with  true  generosity,  the  English  cared  for  the 
wounded,  friend  and  foe  alike.  But  they  were  scattered  through 
the  woods,  and  the  rain  fell  in  torrents.  Fifty  sufferers  died 
before  morning. 

Now  was  exhibited  a  strange  spectacle.  The  conqueror  fled 
from  his  own  victory.  Cornwallis  had  lost  over  one-quarter  of 
his  men,  and  was  forced  to  retreat  with  his  weakened  army.  He 
accordingly  retired  toward  Wilmington,  whence,  unwilling  to  fall 
back  into  the  Carolinas,  he  concluded  to  march  into  Virginia  and 
join  the  British  troops  already  in  that  State.  Greene  decided  not 
to  follow  him,  but,  leaving  Virginia  to  its  fate,  to  reconquer 
South  Carolina. 

Lord  Rawdon,  in  command  of  the  British  in  that  State,  was  at 
Camden,  and  thither  Greene  turned  his  course.  Having  en 
camped  on  Hobkirk's  Hill,  only  a  mile  from  the  enemy,  he  was 
attacked  before  he  was  fairly  in  position.  He  quickly  made  his 
arrangements,  but  a  regiment  in  the  centre  giving  way  unac 
countably,  he  was  driven  from  his  ground  before  Colonel  Wash 
ington,  who  with  the  cavalry  was  to  fall  on  the  enemy's  rear, 


312  THE    LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [^"ns?™' 

could  reach  the  spot.     Greene  retired  as  usual,  but  not  before 
inflicting  a  greater  loss  than  he  received. 

Meanwhile,  the  partisan  leaders  were  busy.  Marion  and  Lee 
laid  siege  to  the  fort  on  Wright's  Bluff.  Having  no  cannon,  in 
one  night  they  built  a  tower  of  logs,  from  the  top  of  which  the 
riflemen  picked  off  the  garrison,  and  so  forced  a  surrender,  April 
26th.  This  capture  cut  the  communications  of  Camden  with 
Charleston,  and  the  former  post  was  thereupon  evacuated.  They 
then  attacked  Fort  Motte,  on  the  Congaree.  The  British  had 
here  fortified  and  garrisoned  the  house  of  Mrs.  Motte,  an  estima 
ble  whig  woman.  In  order  to  dislodge  the  enemy,  she  brought 
to  Lee  a  bow  and  a  quiver  of  Indian  arrows,  with  which  he  threw 
fire  upon  the  shingled  roof.  The  occupants  could  not  fight  the 
flames  under  the  guns  of  the  sharp-shooters,  and  were  soon 
roasted  into  a  capitulation.  A  little  story  is  attached  to  the 
quiver  of  arrows  which  did  such  effective  service.  Mrs.  Brew- 
ton,  who  was  a  guest  of  Mrs.  Motte's,  had  caught  it  up  in  the 
moment  of  their  forced  departure,  knowing  it  to  be  a  valued 
keepsake  in  the  family.  As  she  was  passing  through  the  gate, 
Major  McPherson,  drawing  out  a  shaft,  applied  it  to  his  finger, 
saying,  "  What  have  you  here,  Mrs.  Brewton?"  "For  God's 
sake,  major,  be  careful,"  she  replied  ;  "  those  arrows  are  poi 
soned."  It  so  chanced  that,  when  applied  to  the  purpose  after 
ward  decided  upon,  the  first  one  missed  its  aim  and  fell  at  the 
feet  of  the  major.  He  took  it  up,  angrily  exclaiming,  "  I  thank 
you,  Mrs.  Brewton."  After  the  surrender,  he  immediately  sought 
her  out,  and  said,  "  To  you,  madame,  I  owe  this  disgrace  ;  it 
would  have  been  more  charitable  to  allow  me  to  perish  by  poison, 
than  to  thus  compel  me  to  surrender  my  post  to  the  enemy." 

Forts  Orangeburg  and  Granby  now  yielded.  Augusta  was 
taken  by  Lee  and  Pickens  the  5th  of  June.  Greene,  in  person, 
endeavored  to  carry  Ninety-Six  by  assault,  but  was  repulsed, 
and  Rawdon,  receiving  reinforcements,  came  to  its  rescue. 
Events  then  took  the  turn  so  common  in  Greene's  experience. 
He  retired  as  far  as  the  Ennoree,  when,  the  British  giving  over 
the  pursuit,  he  followed  them  back,  with  Lee's  Legion  close  on 
their  heels,  captured  forty-eight  dragoons  within  a  mile  of  their 
camp,  and,  June  i8th,  offered  Rawdon  battle,  which  he  declined. 
Greene  then  fell  back  to  the  "  benign  hills  of  Santee,"  as  Lee 
lovingly  calls  them,  to  recruit  his  army. 

Greene,   after   leaving   Ninety-Six,    wished    to    communicate 


A!%iM  EXECUTION    OF    COLONEL    HAYNE.  313 

with  Sumter,  but  the  intervening  country  was  full  of  tories,  and 
no  one  was  willing  to  undertake  the  perilous  mission.  At  this 
moment  a  young  German  girl,  Emily  Geiger  by  name,  volun 
teered  for  the  service.  Greene  entrusted  her  with  a  letter,  at  the 
same  time  informing  her  of  its  contents.  Mounted  on  a  swift 
horse,  she  had  made  one  day's  journey  and  was  near  the  close  of 
the  next,  when  she  was  hailed  by  two  tories,  who  arrested  her  on 
suspicion.  While  confined  in  a  room,  awaiting  the  woman  who 
was  sent  to  search  her  person,  she  tore  up  the  letter  and  swal 
lowed  it  piece  by  piece.  Nothing  being  discovered  by  the  ma 
tron's  careful  investigation,  she  received  many  apologies  for  her 
detention,  and  was  allowed  to  proceed.  Thanks  to  Greene's  cau 
tion  in  acquainting  her  with  the  import  of  the  written  message, 
she  was  able  to  give  Sumter  the  desired  information,  and  Rawdon 
was  soon  flying  before  the  Americans  toward  Orangeburg. 

Disgusted  with  the  ill-success  of  his  plans,  that  officer,  on  the 
pretence  of  poor  health,  soon  returned  to  England.  His  last  act 
in  Charleston  did  much  to  embitter  the  feelings  of  the  inhabitants 
of  that  city.  At  the  time  of  its  capture  by  the  British,  Colonel 
Isaac  Hayne  was  paroled.  He  was  afterward  ordered  into  the 
British  ranks,  at  a  time  when  his  wife  and  several  of  his  children 
lay  at  the  point  of  death  with  small-pox.  The  choice  was  given 
him  to  become  a  loyal  subject  or  to  be  placed  in  close  confine 
ment.  Agonized  by  thoughts  of  his  dying  family,  he  signed  a 
pledge  of  allegiance  to  England,  with  the  assurance  that  he  should 
never  be  required  to  fight  against  his  countrymen.  Being  again 
summoned  by  Lord  Rawdon  to  join  the  British  army,  he  con 
sidered  the  pledge  annulled,  and  raised  a  partisan  band.  He 
was  captured,  and,  without  being  allowed  a  trial,  was  condemned 
to  die.  The  citizens  of  Charleston  vainly  implored  pardon  for 
him.  He  was  allowed  forty-eight  hours  in  which  to  take  leave  of 
his  children,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  was  hanged.  This  bar 
barous  act  left  a  stain  on  Rawdon's  memory  which  time  has  only 
deepened.  Retaliation  was  urgently  demanded ;  but  the  other 
British  officers  did  not  countenance  his  inhumanity,  and  milder 
measures  prevailed. 

Colonel  Stewart,  left  in  command  of  the  British,  took  post  at 
Eutaw  Springs,  where  Greene  attacked  him  September  8th. 
Marion,  Pickens,  Sumter,  Lee,  Williams,  Campbell,  and  Washing 
ton  won  new  honors  on  this  desperately-fought  field.  The  British 
were  finally  fairly  beaten.  In  the  moment  of  victory,  Campbell 


THE    LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


[Sept, 
I- 1781. 


fell.     Informed  of  the  patriots'  success,  he  exclaimed,  like  Wolfe 
at  Quebec,  "  I  die  contented." 

On  their  retreat,  however,  one  party  of  the  enemy  took 
refuge  in  a  brick  house,  and  another  in  a  wood  of  barren  oaks. 
Cannon  were  brought  against  the  former,  but  the  gunners  were 
quickly  picked  .off  by  riflemen ;  Colonel  Washington,  rashly 
charging  the  latter  without  waiting  for  the  infantry,  was  wounded 
and  captured,  and  half  his  men  fell  in  the  useless  struggle. 
Stewart  during  the  delay  rallied  his  fugitives,  and  Greene  reluc- 


Washington. 


Morgun. 


THE    PARTISAN    LEADERS    OF  THE   SOUTH. 


tantly  drew  off  his  men.  One-quarter  of  the  American  army  and 
one-fifth  .of  the  British  were  killed  or  wounded.  Both  sides 
claimed  the  victory.  That  night,  however,  the  English  retired  to 
Charleston. 

During  the  retreat,  Manning,  a  noted  soldier  of  Lee's  legion, 
was  in  hot  pursuit  of  the  flying  British,  when  he  suddenly  found 
himself  surrounded  by  the  enemy  and  not  an  American  within 
forty  rods.  He  did  not  hesitate,  but,  seizing  an  officer  by  the 
collar,  and  wresting  his  sword  from  him  by  main  force,  kept  his 
body  as  a  shield  while,  under  a  heavy  fire,  he  rapidly  backed  off 
from  the  perilous  neighborhood.  The  frightened  British  officer, 


iiySf:]  ARNOLD'S  INVASION  OF  VIRGINIA.  315 

when  thus  summarily  captured,  began  immediately  to  enumerate 
his  titles:  "  I  am  Sir  Henry  Barry,  deputy  adjutant-general,  cap 
tain  in  Fifty-second  regiment,"  etc.,  etc.  "  Enough,"  interrupted 
his  captor,  "  you  are  just  the  man  I  was  looking  for." 

While  Colonel  Washington  was  lying  helpless  under  his  fallen 
horse,  a  soldier  was  about  to  bayonet  him,  when  Major  Majora- 
banks  rushed  forward  and  saved  his  life.  The  gallant  officer  was 
himself  afterward  wounded,  and  died  en  route  to  Charleston.  A 
marble  monument,  erected  as  a  tribute  to  a  generous  enemy  by 
the  Ravenels,  on  whose  plantation  he  was  buried,  now  marks  the 
spot.  The  flag  borne  by  Washington's  troop  at  this  battle  is  still 
preserved,  and  was  carried  by  the  Washington  Light  Infantry 
of  Charleston  at  the  Bunker  Hill  Centennial  celebration,  June 
17,  1875. 

Greene  had  now  been  in  command  only  nine  months,  but  he 
had  recovered  all  the  South  except  Savannah,  Charleston,  and 
Wilmington.  He  had  not  gained  a  decided  victory ;  yet  his 
defeats  had  all  the  effect  of  successes,  and  his  very  retreats 
strengthened  the  confidence  of  his  men  and  weakened  that  of  the 
enemy.  In  his  own  words,  he  was  always  able  "  to  fight,  get 
beaten,  and  fight  again." 

Anxious  to  distinguish  himself  and  burning  with  hatred,  the 
traitor  Arnold  early  led  an  expedition  into  Virginia.  January  2d, 
he  appeared  in  Chesapeake  Bay.  The  State  had  no  troops  to  im 
pede  his  advance,  with  generous  self-forgetfulness  having  sent  her 
best  soldiers  to  the  help  of  her  Southern  sisters.  At  Guilford 
Court-House,  nearly  twenty-five  hundred  of  her  men  had  helped 
to  stay  the  tide  of  British  aggression.  Arnold  having  burned 
Richmond  without  opposition,  Lafayette  was  sent  with  twelve 
hundred  men  to  check  his  progress.  General  Phillips,  arriving 
from  New  York  with  a  heavy  reinforcement,  took  Arnold's  place, 
and  the  work  of  devastation  went  on  more  vigorously  than  ever. 
Lafayette,  with  his  small  force,  could  do  little.  His  men  being 
fearful  of  the  climate,  he  offered  any  who  wished,  a  permit  to  go 
home  ;  but  not  one  would  leave  him.  A  soldier,  unable  to  keep 
up  with  the  march,  hired  a  cart  lest  he  might  seem  to  have  de 
serted.  At  Baltimore,  Lafayette  borrowed  money  to  supply  his 
men  with  shoes  and  hats,  and  to  purchase  linen,  which  the  loyal 
women  of  that  city  made  up  into  summer  garments  for  them. 
Phillips  died,  and  Cornwallis  arriving  from  the  Carolinas,  Arnold 
was  sent  back  to  New  York. 


3l6  THE    LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 

In  September,  Arnold  was  detached  against  Connecticut,  his 
native  State.  New  London  was  pillaged  and  burned,  the  traitor 
himself,  it  is  said,  watching  the  fire  from  a  church  steeple.  Fort 
Griswold  was  carried  by  assault.  Colonel  Ledyard,  the  com 
mander,  after  a  brave  resistance,  ordered  his  men  to  lay  down 
their  arms  ;  but  still  the  slaughter  did  not  cease.  "  Who  com 
mands  here  ?  "  called  out  Major  Bromfield,  a  New  Jersey  tory,  as 
he  entered  the  works.  "  I  did,"  said  Ledyard,  handing  him  his 
sword,  "  but  you  do  now."  With  fiendish  malignity,  he  seized 
the  weapon  and  plunged  it  into  the  bosom  of  the  heroic  colonel. 
Seventy  of  the  garrison  were  slain  and  thirty-five  wounded.  The 
yeomanry  of  the  country  were  fast  rising,  and  Arnold  retreated  to 
his  boats  to  escape  their  vengeance. 

With  this  barbarous  scene  ended  his  career  in  this  country. 
Execrated  by  his  former  friends  and  loathed  by  his  new  com 
panions,  even  children  learned  to  lisp  his  name  with  a  shudder. 
It  is  said  that  while  on  his  predatory  excursions  in  Virginia,  there 
being  at  one  time  a  chance  of  his  capture,  he  asked  an  officer, 
"  How  will  the  rebels  treat  me,  do  you  think,  should  I  fall  into 
their  hands?"  "  Pardon  my  frankness,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  they 
will  probably  cut  off  the  leg  that  was  wounded  in  storming  our 
lines  at  Saratoga,  and  bury  it  with  the  honors  of  war  ;  having  no 
respect  for  the  rest  of  your  body,  they  will  undoubtedly  gibbet 
it."  He  carried  to  England  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  to  Lord  Germain,  but,  although  he  was  patronized 
by  George  III.,  he  received  abundant  proofs  of  contempt  from 
high-spirited  noblemen.  At  one  time,  Lord  Surrey  rose  to  speak 
in  parliament  when,  his  eye  resting  on  Arnold,  he  drew  himself 
proudly  up,  and,  pointing  to  the  traitor,  exclaimed,  "  I  will  not 
speak  while  that  man  is  in  the  house  !  "  It  is  also  related  that,  on 
being  introduced  to  Earl  Balcarras,  the  proud  old  Briton  refused 
his  hand,  saying,  as  he  haughtily  turned  away,  "  I  know  General 
Arnold,  and  I  abominate  traitors  !  "  Many  other  stories,  true  or 
false,  are  current,  but  all  agree  in  showing  how  the  blighting  curse 
of  his  treason  followed  him  to  his  death.  "  He  saw,"  says  Lester, 
"  the  infant  republic  he  had  betrayed,  emerge  from  the  gloom  of 
her  long  struggle  into  wealth,  power,  and  splendor ;  and  left  it 
advancing  on  to  empire  as  he  went  darkling  down  to  a  traitor's 
grave.  He  died  in  1801,  somewhere  in  the  wilderness  of  London. 
Where  he  was  buried,  nobody  has  told." 

Cornwallis   reached    Petersburg  May   2Oth.      Never  at   rest, 


Maiy78i"'y']  CORNWALLIS    IN    VIRGINIA.  317 

though  his  army  had  marched  at  least  fifteen  hundred  miles  from 
their  starting-point  in  South  Carolina,  within  four  days  after  his 
arrival  he  took  the  field  against  Lafayette.  Despising  the  youth 
and  inexperience  of  his  adversary,  he  wrote  to  England,  "  The 
boy  cannot  escape  me."  The  marquis,  however,  retreated  from 
Richmond  across  the  Rapidan,  where  he  was  reinforced  by 
Wayne  with  the  Pennsylvania  troops.  Cornwallis  gave  up  the 
chase  at  Hanover  Court-House,  and  contented  himself  with  send 
ing  out  a  couple  of  detachments. 

Tarleton,  with  his  cavalry,  attempted  the  capture  of  the  Vir 
ginia  Legislature  at  Charlottesville  ;  but  the  members  received 
news  of  his  coming,  and  all  except  seven  escaped.  Governor 
Jefferson  had  not  been  absent  from  his  mansion  at  Monticello  ten 
minutes  when  the  dragoons  dismounted  at  the  door.  Simcoe, 
who  was  only  second  to  Tarleton  as  a  dashing  partisan  leader, 
was  directed  to  seize  the  stores  collected  at  the  Point  of  Fork. 
By  judiciously  spreading  his  men  over  the  neighboring  hills,  he 
deceived  Baron  Steuben,  who  was  stationed  there  with  about  six 
hundred  new  levies,  into  the  belief  that  the  whole  British  army 
was  at  hand.  The  baron  accordingly  decamped  hastily,  and  the 
English,  crossing  the  river,  destroyed  the  stores. 

Cornwallis  now  placed  himself  between  Lafayette  and  the 
magazines  at  Albemarle  Old  Court-House.  But  the  Marquis, 
during  the  night,  opened  what  was  known  as  the  "  Rogues'  Road  " 
— a  wilderness  path,  by  which  absconding  debtors  had  been  wont 
to  escape  to  the  South — and,  before  morning,  had  taken  a  strong 
position,  where  he  could  defend  the  place.  Cornwallis  then 
turned  toward  Williamsburg.  Here  he  received  orders  from 
Clinton  to  send  three  thousand  men  to  New  York,  as  there  were 
great  fears  that  Washington,  by  the  aid  of  the  French  fleet  and 
troops  at  Newport,  would  attack  that  city.  Setting  out  July  4th, 
for  Portsmouth,  the  royal  army  reached  the  Jamestown  ford. 
Ordering  only  the  advance  to  cross,  Cornwallis  hid  his  main  camp 
back  of  the  woods  and  morasses,  and,  by  means  of  deserters,  gave 
the  impression  that  merely  the  rear-guard  remained  on  the  left 
bank.  Wayne  fell  into  the  snare,  traversed  a  narrow  log  cause 
way,  and  attacked  the  enemy.  The  whole  British  army  sprang 
up  before  him,  and  he  was  at  once  outflanked.  "  Mad  Anthony," 
seeing  his  peril,  sounded  the  charge,  and  dashed  forward  with 
headlong  courage.  Lafayette  came  to  his  rescue.  The  enemy, 
overawed  by  the  apparent  confidence  of  the  Americans,  feared  a 


3l8  THE    LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [^fj; 

stratagem,  and  dared  not  pursue.  The  Americans  fell  back  to 
Green  Springs,  and  Cornwallis  continued  on  to  Portsmouth  un 
molested. 

Clinton,  having  received  reinforcements  from  England,  coun 
termanded  the  order  for  troops  from  Virginia,  and  directed  Corn 
wallis  to  establish  an  entrenched  camp  at  some  central  point  which 
would  form  a  nucleus  for  future  operations.  The  army  was  ac 
cordingly  transferred  to  Yorktown  and  Gloucester,  where  fortifi 
cations  were  rapidly  thrown  up. 

During  this  midsummer  campaign,  Cornwallis  had  traversed 
the  rich  fields  of  Virginia,  plundering  houses,  burning  farms  and 
fences,  devastating  crops,  seizing  horses  and  slaves,  and  inflicting 
a  total  loss  of  fifteen  million  dollars. 

The  French-American  army  under  Washington  and  Count  de 
Rochambeau  was  now  encamped  at  Dobb's  Ferry.  Every  effort 
was  put  forth  to  prepare  for  a  combined  attack  upon  New  York. 
While  he  had  maintained  a  bold  front  before  Clinton,  Washington 
had  really,  however,  been  baffled  on  every  hand.  At  one  time 
there  were  only  two  thousand  men  in  camp,  a  number  less  than 
that  of  the  tories  then  in  the  British  service.  There  was  danger 
of  even  this  small  force  being  disbanded  for  lack  of  provisions. 
All  the  American  fleet  had  been  destroyed  except  two  frigates. 
"  Hancock,"  says  Bancroft,  "  was  vain  and  neglectful  of  business, 
while  the  president  of  Pennsylvania  was  more  ready  to  recount 
what  the  State  had  done  than  what  it  meant  to  do."  Morris  now 
once  more  came  to  the  rescue.  By  giving  his  own  notes  for  one 
million  four  hundred  thousand  dollars,  he  obtained  funds  for  the 
outfit  of  the  troops  for  the  summer  campaign. 

The  news  of  the  departure  from  San  Domingo  for  the  Chesa 
peake  of  Count  de  Grasse,  with  a  fleet  of  twenty-five  ships-of- 
the-line  and  several  thousand  troops,  put  a  new  phase  on  affairs. 
The  very  day  Cornwallis  arrived  at  Yorktown,  Washington  re 
solved  to  transfer  the  allied  army  to  Virginia.  To  the  last  the 
fiction  was  kept  up  of  a  movement  upon  New  York.  Recon- 
noissances  were  made,  boats  prepared,  and  ovens  set  up  on  the 
New  Jersey  shore.  On  the  iQth  of  August  the  troops  were 
paraded  with  their  faces  toward  King's  Bridge,  when  they  were 
wheeled  to  the  right-about,  and  began  their  march  southward. 
Soon  all  the  roads  leading  to  King's  Ferry  were  alive  with  the 
gleam  of  arms,  the  tramping  of  men,  and  the  heavy  rumbling  of 
wheels.  Clinton  had  captured  a  letter  from  Washington  inform- 


Aug'  ?78i?Ct'  5'1  INVESTMENT    OF    YORKTOWN.  319 

ing  Congress  of  his  plans  for  taking  New  York,  and  so  much  was 
it  relied  upon  that  the  British  general  thought  these  movements  a 
ruse  to  throw  him  off  his  guard.  At  Philadelphia,  Morris  could 
strain  his  credit  no  more,  and  actually  borrowed  of  Rochambeau 
twenty  thousand  dollars  in  hard  money  to  put  the  American  troops 
in  good  humor  for  their  long  march.  While  en  route,  Washing 
ton  rode  forward  with  Rochambeau  and  Chastellux  at  the  rate  of 
sixty  miles  per  day,  and  so  secured  time  to  stop  at  Mount  Vernon 
three  days.  It  was  his  first  visit  home  in  over  six  years. 

The  net  was  fast  weaving  about  the  unsuspecting  Cornwallis. 
August  3Oth,  Count  de  Grasse  cast  anchor  within  the  capes  of  the 
Chesapeake.  September  5th,  the  English  fleet  appearing  off  the 
coast,  the  French  immediately  offered  battle,  and  inflicted  such 
a  loss  that  the  enemy  sailed  back  to  New  York.  De  Barras  took 
advantage  of  this  opportunity  to  slip  in  with  the  French  transports 
from  Newport  containing  the  artillery  for  the  siege.  On  the  28th, 
the  besieging  army,  twelve  thousand  strong,  drove  in  the  outposts 
and  sat  down  before  the  entrenchments  of  Yorktown.  That  night 
Washington  lay  in  the  open  air  under  a  mulberry  tree,  its  root 
serving  for  a  pillow.  October  5th,  trenches  were  opened  within 
six  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's  line — the  French  on  the  left  and 
the  Americans  on  the  right. 

In  the  allied  camp  there  were  the  utmost  harmony  and  good 
will.  The  French  were  universal  favorites,  and  everything  was 
cheerfully  sacrificed  for  them — the  guests  of  the  nation — while 
their  officers,  by  the  wise  provision  of  Louis  XVI.,  were  all  made 
to  act  under  the  orders  of  Washington. 

The  town  was  bombarded  night  and  day.  Governor  Nelson 
commanded  the  battery  that  opened  first  upon  the  British.  Corn 
wallis  and  his  staff  were  at  that  time  occupying  the  governor's 
fine  stone  mansion.  The  patriot  pointed  one  of  his  heaviest  guns 
directly  toward  the  house,  and  ordered  the  gunners  to  play  upon 
it  with  spirit.  The  vessels  in  the  harbor  were  fired  with  red-hot 
shot.  For  a  time  the  English  replied  with  great  vigor.  One  shell 
fell  near  Baron  Steuben,  who,  leaping  into  a  trench  to  avoid  its 
effects,  was  closely  followed  by  Wayne.  The  latter  stumbling  as 
he  jumped,  fell  squarely  upon  his  superior  officer.  Steuben,  whose 
ready  wit  never  deserted  him,  gave  Wayne  not  a  moment  for 
apology,  but  remarked,  "  My  dear  sir,  I  always  knew  you  were 
a  brave  officer,  but  I  see  you  are  perfect  in  every  point  of  duty  ; 
you  cover  your  general's  retreat  in  the  best  manner  possible." 


32O 


THE    LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 


On  the  1 4th,  two  advanced  redoubts  were  taken  by  assault — one 
by  the  Americans  and  the  other  by  the  French,  in  generous  rivalry. 
The  former  were  led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hamilton,  who  volun 
teered  for  the  honor,  and  was  the  first  to  mount  the  rampart.  The 
men  did  not  wait  to  remove  the  abattis,  but  scrambled  through  as 
best  they  could,  and,  without  firing  a  gun,  swept  all  before  them. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Laurens  turned  the  entrenchment,  and  with 
his  own  hand  captured  the  commandant.  Every  man  who  asked 
it  obtained  quarter,  although  the  news  of  the  massacre  at  Fort 
Griswold  had  just  been  received.  The  battalion  of  Gatinois  was 
at  the  head  of  the  French  column.  It  had  been  formed  from  a 
regiment  which  had  won  the  name  of  D'Auvcrgne  sans  tache — 

Auvergne  without  a  stain — and  when 
Rochambeau,  who  had  been  their  old 
leader,  assigned  them  their  post,  they 
said  they  would  die  to  a  man  if  their 
former  title  might  be  restored  to  them. 
The  French  stopped  under  fire  to 
have  the  sappers  remove  the  obstruc 
tions.  Then  they  leaped  forward, 
and  to  the  cry  of  "  Vive  le  Roi  !  "  swept 
the  redoubt.  Within  six  minutes  the 


SIEGE  OF 

YORKTOWN 


French 

Artillery"*,   J^T.  _ --p. 
WasTiington's     r  f  America* 
Head  Quarters  •«- 


task  was  done.  "  On  that  night,"  says  Holmes,  "  victory  twined 
double  garlands  around  the  banners  of  France  and  America." 

Washington,  standing  in  the  grand  battery  with  Generals 
Knox  and  Lincoln,  was  an  intensely  excited  spectator  of  these 
assaults.  One  of  his  aides-de-camp,  uneasy  lest  harm  might  come 
to  him,  ventured  to  observe  that  the  situation  was  very  much  ex 
posed.  "  If  you  think  so,"  replied  he,  gravely,  "you  are  at  liberty 
to  step  back."  Shortly  afterward,  says  Irving,  a  musket-ball 
struck  the  cannon  in  the  embrasure,  rolled  along  it,  and  fell  at 
his  feet.  General  Knox  grasped  his  arm.  "  My  dear  general," 
exclaimed  he,  "  we  can't  spare  you  yet."  "  It  is  a  spent  ball," 
replied  Washington,  quietly  ;  "  no  harm  is  done."  When  all  was 
over,  and  the  redoubts  were  taken,  he  drew  a  long  breath,  and, 
turning  to  Knox,  observed,  "  The  work  is  done,  and  well  done." 
Then  he  called  to  his  servant,  "  William,  bring  me  my  horse." 

The  same  night  both  redoubts  were  included  within  the 
second  parallel.  Two  days  after,  the  English  made  a  sally,  but 
were  driven  back  pell-mell.  As  a  last  resort,  Cornwallis  attempted 
to  ferry  his  men  across  by  night  to  Gloucester,  hoping  to  break 


Oct.  19, 1 
1781.   J 


SURRENDER    OF    CORNWALLIS. 


321 


through  the  lines  there,  and  escape  over  the  country  to  New  York. 
A  part  of  his  army  had  crossed,  when  a  storm  scattered  his  boats 
and  put  an  end  to  this  daring  scheme.  One  hundred  heavy  can 
non  were  now  playing  upon  every  part  of  the  works,  which  were 
already  so  damaged  that  hardly  a  gun  could  be  used  in  reply. 
An  assault  was  imminent.  Nothing  was  heard  from  Clinton,  who 
had  promised  aid  by  the  5th.  There  was  no  other  resource,  and 
on  the  1 9th  Cornwallis  capitulated. 

The  scene  of  the  surrender  was  imposing.  It  was  arranged 
that  General  Lincoln  should  accept  the  submission  of  the  captive 
general  exactly  as  his  own  had  been  received  at  Charleston 


SURRENDER  OF  CORNWALLIS  AT  YORKTOWN. 


eighteen  months  before.  The  allied  forces  were  drawn  up  on  op 
posite  sides  of  the  road  for  over  a  mile,  the  French  on  the  left  and 
the  Americans  on  the  right.  Washington  and  Rochambeau,  each 
with  his  staff,  stood  at  the  head  of  his  army.  The  English,  about 
seven  thousand  in  number,  marched  between  the  lines,  with  slow 
step,  shouldered  arms,  and  cased  colors.  With  deep  chagrin  and 
sullen  look,  the  officers  gave  the  order  to  " ground  arms";  the 
men  throwing  down  their  guns  as  if  to  break  them,  until  General 
Lincoln  checked  the  irregularity.  Every  eye  was  turned  to 
catch  a  sight  of  Cornwallis,  but,  vexed  and  annoyed,  he  feigned 
sickness,  and  sent  his  sword  by  the  hand  of  General  O'Hara. 
21 


322  THE    LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION.  [°£p 

"  From  Yorktown's  ruins,  ranked  and  still, 
Two  lines  stretch  far  o'er  vale  and  hill : 
Who  curbs  his  steed  at  head  of  one  ? 
Hark  !  the  low  murmur :  Washington  ! 
Who  bends  his  keen,  approving  glance 
Where  down  the  gorgeous  line  of  France 
Shine  knightly  star  and  plume  of  snow? 
Thou  too  art  victor,  Rochambeau  ! 

"  The  earth  which  bears  this  calm  array 
Shook  with  the  war-charge  yesterday  ; 
Ploughed  deep  with  hurrying  hoof  and  wheeL 
Shot  down  and  bladed  thick  with  steel  ; 
October's  clear  and  noonday  sun 
Paled  in  the  breath-smoke  of  the  gun  ; 
And  down  night's  double  blackness  fell, 
Like  a  dropped  star,  the  blazing  shell. 

"  Now  all  is  hushed  :  the  gleaming  lines 
Stand  moveless  as  the  neighboring  pines ; 
While  through  them,  sullen,  grim,  and  slow, 
The  conquered  hosts  of  England  go  : 
O'Hara's  brow  belies  his  dress, 
Gay  Tarleton's  troop  ride  bannerless  : 
Shout,  from  thy  fired  and  wasted  homes, 
Thy  scourge,  Virginia,  captive  comes  !  " —  Whittier. 

The  very  day  the  capitulation  was  signed,  Clinton  sailed  from 
New  York  with  the  promised  reinforcement.  He  reached  the 
capes  of  Virginia  on  the  24th,  when,  learning  of  the  disaster,  he 
returned  crestfallen. 

Tidings  of  the  surrender  reached  Philadelphia  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  The  people  were  awakened  by  the  watchman's 
cry,  "  Past  two  o'clock,  and  Cornwallis  is  taken  !  "  Lights  flashed 
through  the  houses,  and  soon  the  streets  were  thronged  with 
crowds  eager  to  learn  the  glad  news.  Some  were  speechless 
with  delight ;  many  wept ;  and  the  old  door-keeper  of  Congress 
died  of  joy.  Congress  met  at  an  early  hour,  and  that  afternoon 
marched  in  solemn  procession  to  the  Lutheran  church  to  return 
thanks  to  Almighty  God.  The  day  after,  Washington  ordered 
Divine  service  to  be  held  at  the  head  of  the  regiments  on  account 
of  the  "  particular  interposition  of  Providence  on  their  behalf." 

Notwithstanding  the  great  provocations  which  had  been  given 
by  Cornwallis  and  his  officers,  they  received  only  consideration 
and  respect  at  the  hands  of  their  conquerors.  But  nothing  could 
atone  to  the  fallen  British  general  for  the  mortification  of  his  de- 


1781-1783.]  END    OF    THE    WAR.  323 

feat.  One  day,  when  he  was  standing-  with  his  hat  off  in  presence 
of  Washington,  the  latter  kindly  observed  :  "  My  lord,  you  had 
better  be  covered  from  the  cold."  "  It  matters  not  what  becomes 
of  this  head  now,"  was  the  bitter  reply. 

Lord  North  received  the  news  as  he  would  "  a  cannon-ball  in 
his  breast."  He  paced  the  room,  tossing  his  arms,  and  crying, 
"  O  God  !  it  is  all  over ! "  The  hope  of  subduing  America  was 
now  abandoned  by  the  people  of  England,  and  they  loudly  de 
manded  the  removal  of  the  ministers  who  still  counseled  war. 
The  House  of  Commons  voted  that  whoever  advised  the  king  to 
continue  hostilities  should  be  considered  a  public  enemy.  Early 
in  May,  1782,  Sir  Guy  Carleton  arrived  in  New  York  with  prop 
ositions  for  a  reconciliation  between  the  two  countries. 

The  struggle  which  commenced  in  Massachusetts  had  now 
closed  in  Virginia.  With  the  surrender  at  Yorktown,  the  war 
was  virtually  at  an  end.  The  American  armies  still,  however, 
kept  the  field,  and  various  minor  skirmishes  occurred.  Greene's 
men,  without  regular  food,  clothing  or  pay,  held  the  British 
closely  confined  in  Charleston ;  while  Wayne  watched  the  garri 
son  in  Augusta  with  watchful  vigilance.  In  August,  1782,  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  Laurens  was  killed  at  Combahee  Ferry  while 
resisting  the  advance  of  a  foraging  detachment  from  Charleston. 
The  last  blood  shed  in  the  Revolution  is  said  to  have  been  that  of 
Captain  Wilmot,  in  September,  during  a  skirmish  at  Stono  Ferry. 

Preliminary  articles  of  peace  were  signed  at  Versailles,  No 
vember  30,  1782.  In  order  to  give  England  time  to  adjust  her 
difficulties  with  France,  the  final  treaty  was  not  executed  until 
September  3d  of  the  following  year.  Meanwhile,  on  April  iQth, 
the  eighth  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  which  began 
the  war,  Washington,  at  the  headquarters  of  the  army,  officially 
proclaimed  its  close.  Charleston  had  been  evacuated  by  the 
British,  December  14,  1782,  and  Savannah,  July  11,  1783.  The 
English  troops  were  then  collected  at  New  York  from  all  points. 
On  November  25th — a  cold,  frosty  day — the  British  army  and  the 
refugees  embarked  in  boats  for  Staten  and  Long  Islands,  prepara 
tory  to  taking  ship.  The  same  morning,  General  Knox,  who  had 
come  down  from  West  Point  with  some  American  troops,  entered 
the  city  from  the  Bowery.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
they  took  possession  of  Fort  George,  upon  the  Battery,  amid  the 
shouts  of  the  crowd  and  the  roar  of  the  guns. 

Soon  after,  Washington  and   his  staff  and  Governor  Clinton 


324 


END    OF    THE    WAR. 


[1781-1783. 


and  suite  made  a  formal  entry  ;  the  commander-in-chief  taking  up 
his  headquarters  at  Fraunces's  Tavern — a  house  still  standing  on 
the  corner  of  Pearl  and  Broad  streets.  Here,  December  4th, 
Washington  bade  farewell  to  his  principal  officers.  It  was  a 
tender,  touching  scene.  Passing  thence,  he  set  out  to  offer  his 
commission  to  Congress.  When  he  entered  the  barge,  and,  bid 
ding  adieu  to  the  assembled  multitude,  disappeared  from  sight, 
the  War  of  the  Revolution  ceased  and  a  new  epoch  dawned. 


GEORGE   III. 


PART  III. 


"  Sail  on,  0  Skip  of  State  / 
Sail  on,  O   Union,  strong  and  great  / 
Humanity,  with  all  its  fears, 
With  all  its  hopes  of  future  years, 
Is  hanging  breathless  on  thy  fate  ! 
We  know  what  Master  laid  thy  keel, 
What  workmen  wrought  thy  ribs  of  steel, 
Who  made  each  mast,  and  sail,  and  rope, 
What  anvils  rang,  what  hammers  beat, 
In  what  a  forge,  and  what  a  heat, 
Were  shaped  the  anchors  of  thy  hope. 

"  Fear  not  each  sudden  sound  and  shock  y 
'  Tis  of  the  wave,  and  not  the  rock  ; 
'  Tis  but  the  flapping  of  the  sail, 
And  not  a  rent  made  by  the  gale. 
In  spite  of  rock  and  tempest  roar, 
In  spite  of  false  lights  on  the  shore, 
Sail  on,  nor  fear  to  breast  the  sea  ; 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  ate  all  with  thee, 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  our  prayers,  our  tears, 
Our  faith  triumphant  o'er  our  fears, 
Are  all  with  thee — are  all  with  thee" — LONGFELLOWO 


CHAPTER     IX. 

THE  (DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  (REPUBLIC. 


FEDERAL    HALL. 


HE  first  twenty 
years  of  the  ex^ 
istence  of  the 

United  States  as  a  nation,  or 
rather  the  period  from  the  time 
of  the  treaty  of  peace  with  Great  Bri 
tain  until  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  was  the  most  important  of 
any  the  country  has  yet  seen.  The 
close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  left  the 
States  like  a  citadel  overthrown  —  its 

proportions  destroyed,  its  material  scattered,  without  cohe 
sion,  almost,  if  not  quite,  a  complete  ruin.  It  was  to  be  shown 
whether  or  not  the  eminent  men  who  had  been  so  successful  in 


328  THE    DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1783. 

overturning,  would  be  equally  so  in  building  up ;  it  being  a 
question  for  some  time,  not  whether  a  structure  was  to  arise 
stronger,  fairer,  and  better  than  the  older  one,  but  whether  there 
was  to  be  any  rebuilding  at  all. 

The  situation  was  peculiar,  unlike  any  other  that  the  history 
of  the  world  had  shown.  Most,  if  not  all,  the  nations  of  the  earth 
had  grown  up  by  degrees  from  small  beginnings.  Here  was  one 
that  was  to  spring  into  existence,  a  first-class  power  almost  from 
its  birth.  The  material  was  ready  at  hand  and  far  removed  from 
the  influence  or  control  of  the  older  nations.  The  event  showed 
that,  as  God  had  prepared  the  work,  so  had  He  laborers  compe 
tent  to  perform  it.  They  builded,  and  builded  even  stronger  than 
they  knew. 

On  the  23d  of  December,  less  than  a  month  after  the  evacua 
tion  of  New  York,  Washington  resigned  his  commission  as  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  army  and  returned  to  his  home  at  Mount 
Vernon.  He  had  given  many  proofs  of  his  patriotism,  but  one  of 
the  greatest  was  his  refusal  to  receive  any  compensation  for  his 
eight  years  of  service  at  the  head  of  the  army.  It  detracts 
nothing  from  the  quality  of  the  sentiment  involved  that,  being 
rich  through  his  marriage  with  Mrs.  Custis,  he  could  afford  this 
gift  to  his  country.  He  simply  asked  the  reimbursement  of  his 
expenses,  an  exact  account  of  which  he  had  kept,  drawn  up  by  his 
own  hand,  and  now  presented  to  the  government. 

The  situation  of  affairs,  although  peace  had  now  come,  was  by 
no  means  flattering  to  the  future  of  the  States.  The  Articles  of 
Confederation,  under  which  they  had  been  acting  during  the  war, 
were  mere  shadows  unless  sustained  by  a  common  danger  or  the 
entire  willingness  of  all  concerned.  In  case  of  any  conflict  of 
interest,  they  were  ineffective  for  adjustment  or  control.  They 
gave  Congress  authority  to  declare  everything,  but  to  do  noth 
ing.  They  did  not  act  at  all  upon  the  people  of  the  country, 
except  through  the  several  States,  and  it  depended  entirely  upon 
the  Legislatures  whether  the  measures  adopted  by  Congress 
should  be  carried  out.  Many  of  them  were  silently  disregarded ; 
many  were  slowly  and  reluctantly  obeyed ;  and  some  were  openly 
and  boldly  defied. 

In  all  matters  of  commerce,  either  domestic  or  foreign,  Con 
gress  was  powerless.  Each  State  made  its  own  regulations,  and 
consequently  the  most  opposite  rules  existed  at  points  within  a 
few  miles  of  each  other.  Local  prejudices  were  aroused  and 


1783.]  WASHINGTON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  329 

intensified,  and  resentments  continually  excited.  Indeed,  feeling 
in  many  instances  ran  so  high  that  civil  war  seemed  imminent. 
Foreign  nations,  although  acknowledging  the  independence  of 
the  States,  were  not  backward  in  taking  advantage  of  their  weak 
ness  and  the  distracted  condition  of  their  legislation,  imposing 
upon  the  trade  and  navigation  of  the  country  such  restrictions  as 
best  suited  their  own  interests. 

But  this  apathy  and  opposition  were  especially  felt  when 
money  was  to  be  raised  for  general  purposes.  Congress  could 
not  itself  collect  the  taxes.  It  could  only  ascertain  the  sum 
needed,  and  apportion  it  to  the  several  States  for  them  to  levy. 
During  the  war,  there  was  great  delay  in  responding  to  these 
requisitions;  but  after  peace  was  declared,  there  was  an  utter 
indifference  on  the  subject.  Notwithstanding  the  most  urgent 
appeals  from  the  best  men  of  the  country,  it  seemed  impossible  to 
procure  even  enough  money  to  pay  the  interest  on  the  national 
debt,  and  the  public  faith  was  consequently  prostrate. 

In  fact,  the  poverty  of  the  public  treasury,  together  with  the 
feebleness  and  apathy  of  Congress,  threatened  the  very  existence 
of  the  government  even  before  the  army  was  disbanded.  The 
troops  were  not  paid,  and  the  condition  of  those  patriotic  men 
who  had  won  the  freedom  of  the  country  was  most  lamentable. 
While  Washington  was  yet  at  his  headquarters  at  Newburg 
(March  10,  1783),  an  anonymous  address  was  distributed  among 
his  soldiers.  It  was  plainly  but  skillfully  put,  urging  them  not  to 
disband,  but  to  overthrow  the  civil  authorities  and  seize  upon  their 
rights.  Washington  was  even  asked  to  assume  the  title  of  king 
and  grasp  the  reins  of  government  himself.  The  calmness  and 
honesty  of  the  Father  of  his  Country  were  never  more  grandly 
shown  than  at  this  moment  of  peril  in  thwarting  the  plans  of  these 
earnest,  but  misguided  men.  A  touching  incident  took  place 
just  before  he  commenced  the  reading  of  his  memorable  address 
upon  this  occasion.  He  removed  his  spectacles  to  wipe  them, 
and,  turning  to  those  around  him,  said,  "  My  eyes  have  grown 
dim  in  the  service  of  my  country,  but  I  have  never  yet  learned  to 
doubt  her  justice."  Washington  finally  secured  a  grant  of  five 
years  full  pay  to  the  officers,  instead  of  half  pay  for  life,  and  the 
whole  matter  was  happily  adjusted. 

Lossing  relates  an  incident  of  Steuben  which  illustrates  both 
the  extreme  poverty  of  the  army  at  this  period,  and  the  gener 
osity  of  "  Marshal  Forritz,"  as  his  men  loved  to  call  him,  from 


330 


DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  REPUBLIC. 


[1783. 


\ 


WASHINGTON  S    HEADQUARTERS   AT   NEWBURG. 


his  foreign  pronunciation  of  the  command  "  Forward  !  "  "  Colonel 
Cochrane  was  standing  in  the  street,  penniless,  when  Steuben 
tried  to  comfort  him  by  saying  that  better  times  would  come. 
1  For  myself/  said  the  brave  officer,  *  I  can  stand  it ;  but  my  wife 
and  daughters  are  in  the  garret  of  that  wretched  tavern,  and  I 
have  nowhere  to  carry  them,  nor  even  money  to  remove  them/ 
The  baron's  generous  heart  was  touched,  and,  though  poor  him 
self,  he  hastened  to  the  family  of  Cochrane,  poured  the  whole 
contents  of  his  purse  upon  the  table,  and  left  as  suddenly  as  he 
had  entered.  As  he  was  walking  toward  the  wharf,  a  wounded 
negro  soldier  came  up  to  him,  bitterly  lamenting  that  he  had  no 
means  with  which  to  get  to  New  York.  The  baron  borrowed  a 
dollar,  and,  handing  it  to  him,  hailed  a  sloop  and  put  him  on 
board.  '  God  Almighty  bless  you,  baron ! '  said  the  negro,  as 
his  benefactor  walked  away." 

In  the  apportionment  among  the  States  of  the  taxes  to  meet 
the  interest  or  a  portion  of  the  principal  of  the  debt — now  about 
forty-four  million  dollars — it  was  discovered  that  the  basis  of  their 
quotas  had  not  been  justly  laid.  The  standard  had  been  the 
value  of  the  real  estate,  instead  of  the  relative  population  of  the 
several  States.  To  correct  this  error,  Congress  suggested  that 
there  should  be  an  amendment  to  the  Articles  of  Confederation. 
During  the  discussion,  there  arose  a  question  as  to  the  relative 
efficiency  of  white  and  colored  men  in  the  production  of  wealth. 


1785-7.].  WASHINGTON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  331 

By  what  reasoning  the  decision  was  at  length  reached,  at  this 
point  of  time  it  is  difficult  to  determine:  but  in  April,  1783,  the 
States  were  asked  to  so  amend  the  Articles  of  Confederation,  that, 
in  enumerating  their  population  for  purposes  of  taxation,  three 
white  men  should  equal  five  negroes.  This  was  subsequently 
incorporated  in  the  second  section  of  the  new  Constitution,  deli 
cately  alluding  to  the  slaves  as  "  three-fifths  of  all  other  persons." 

For  two  years  after  the  peace,  the  States  dragged  along,  grow 
ing  poorer  and  poorer  every  day  ;  getting  further  and  further 
from  one  another  in  sentiment,  feeling,  and  interest ;  clinging  to 
their  State  pride  and  jealousy  with  a  tenacity  that  showed  that 
the  Confederation  must  soon  expire  of  pure  inanity. 

In  1785,  the  States  of  Maryland  and  Virginia  appointed  com 
missioners  to  make  some  regulations  relative  to  the  navigation 
of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  Potomac  and  Roanoke  Rivers. 
Finding  its  powers  inadequate,  the  committee  recommended  more 
extended  proceedings.  The  resolution  embodying  their  sugges 
tions  was  drawn  up  and  presented  by  James  Madison  of  Virginia, 
whence  he  has  been  styled  the  "  Father  of  the  Constitution." 

This  recommendation  resulted  in  an  invitation  by  the  Legisla 
ture  of  Virginia  to  all  the  States  to  appoint  commissioners  for  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  uniform  system  of  commercial  relations. 
Delegates  from  five  States  accordingly  met  at  Annapolis,  Sep 
tember,  1786,  and  framed  a  report  advising  Congress  to  call  a 
general  convention  for  a  more  effectual  revision  of  the  Articles  of 
Confederation.  The  body  thus  appointed  assembled  at  Philadel 
phia,  May,  1787,  all  the  States  except  Rhode  Island  being  repre 
sented.  George  Washington  was  chosen  president  and  William 
Jackson  secretary. 

The  territory  of  the  United  States  at  this  time  comprised  that 
vast  region  between  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  Mississippi  River 
on  the  east  and  the  west,  and  between  the  chain  of  lakes  and  the 
St.  Lawrence  River  and  the  thirty-first  parallel  of  north  latitude 
on  the  north  and  the  south.  Northwest  of  the  Ohio  River  was  a 
large  territory  to  which  several  of  the  States  had  a  claim,  as  it 
lay  within  their  original  charter  limits,  which  extended  from  ocean 
to  ocean.  They  had,  however,  ceded  their  rights  to  the  United 
States  for  the  common  benefit.  During  the  year  1787,  Congress 
passed  an  ordinance  which  has  become  famous.  It  provided  for 
the  government  of  the  Northwestern  Territory,  as  it  was  called, 
until  certain  designated  parts  should  possess  sixty  thousand  inhab- 


332 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC. 


[1787. 


itants,  when  they  were  to  be  admitted  as  States.  It  also  ordered 
that  "  slavery  or  involuntary  servitude,  except  for  crime,"  was  to 
be  forever  prohibited  therein. 

The  "  Constitutional  Convention  "  contained  many  remarkable 
men.  Among  them,  were  Samuel  Johnson,  Roger  Sherman,  and 
Oliver  Ellsworth,  of  Connecticut ;  Gunning  Bedford  and  George 
Read,  of  Delaware;  William  Few  and  Abraham  Baldwin,  of 
Georgia  ;  Daniel  Carroll,  James  McHenry,  and  Luther  Martin,  of 


TEHmiUKLSL 
of  the 

UNITED  STATES 


Maryland ;  Caleb  Strong,  Elbridge  Gerry,  and  Rufus  King,  of 
Massachusetts;  John  Langdon  and  Nicholas  Gilman,  of  New 
Hampshire  ;  Jonathan  Dayton,  William  Livingston,  and  William 
Patterson,  of  New  Jersey  ;  John  Lansing,  Robert  Yates,  and  Alex 
ander  Hamilton,  of  New  York ;  Robert  Morris,  Gouverneur  Mor 
ris,  and  Benjamin  Franklin,  of  Pennsylvania ;  John  Rutledge,  Pierce 
Butler,  Charles  Pinckney,  and  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  of 
South  Carolina  ;  Edmund  Randolph,  George  Mason,  James  Madi-. 
son,  and  George  Washington,  of  Virginia. 

Oliver  Ellsworth,  while  in  the  senate,  was  called  the  "  firmest 
pillar  of  Washington's  administration,"  and  was  subsequently  ap 
pointed  Chief-Justice  of  the  United  States.  From  Elbridge  Gerry 
came  the  term  "  gerry-mandering,"  or  the  so  arranging  of  districts 
that  one  or  the  other  political  party  should  gain  the  majority. 


1787-90.]  WASHINGTON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  333 

Rufus  King  was  three  times  a  candidate  for  the  Vice-Presidency. 
Robert  Morris  was  the  patriot  financier  who  rendered  such 
valuable  service  during  the  Revolution.  But  though  "  heaven- 
directed  "  in  public  matters,  he  was  most  unfortunate  in  his  pri 
vate  concerns.  As  an  instance  :  he  commenced,  in  Philadelphia, 
the  erection  of  a  magnificent  marble  mansion,  the  grounds  of 
which  were  to  occupy  an  entire  square.  The  cellar  was  three 
stories  in  depth,  and  the  arches  and  vaults  were  so  labyrinthine 
that  visitors  were  often  lost  among  them.  Before  the  building 
had  reached  the  second  story,  funds  failed,  and  the  project  was 
abandoned.  Much  of  the  material  was  taken  to  erect  a  row  of 
houses  on  Sansom  Street,  some  of  which  are  still  standing. 

It  was  soon  evident  that  a  mere  revision  of  the  Articles  of  Con 
federation  would  not  satisfy  many  of  the  delegates.  They  there 
upon  set  themselves  to  the  task  of  originating  an  entirely  new 
form  of  government.  At  first,  the  notion  of  a  Union,  National 
instead  of  Federative,  was  uppermost — a  natural  swinging  of  the 
pendulum  to  the  opposite  extreme ; — but  a  happy  medium  was 
finally  struck,  in  which  the  advantages  of  a  consolidated  nation 
were  secured,  and  the  benefits  of  State  rights  retained.  The  New 
Constitution  was  signed  September  17,  1787. 

It  was  to  go  into  effect  March  4,  1789,  between  any  nine  of 
the  States  which  should  then  have  adopted  it.  Delaware,  Penn 
sylvania,  and  New  Jersey  ratified  it  the  same  year.  It  was  ac 
cepted  the  next  year  by  the  other  States,  except  North  Carolina 
and  Rhode  Island,  which  followed  in  1789  and  1790  respectively. 

The  adoption  of  the  Constitution  was  not  secured  without 
great  opposition.  It  was  powerfully  sustained  by  James  Madison, 
Alexander  Hamilton,  and  John  Jay,  in  a  series  of  papers  called 
the  "  Federalist,"  which  take  rank  as  a  literary  performance  with 
the  celebrated  letters  of  "  Junius."  Patrick  Henry  was  bitterly 
hostile  to  the  new  form  of  government.  Even  Jefferson  himself  is 
reported  to  have  said,  somewhat  in  derision,  that  the  executive  it 
established  "  was  the  chief  of  an  elective  monarchy,  a  bad  edition 
of  a  Polish  king."  James  Monroe,  George  Mason,  and  William 
Grayson,  though  strong  in  opposing,  became  prominent  under  it 
when  it  went  into  operation. 

Presidential  elections  were  held  in  every  State  ratifying  the 
Constitution,  except  in  New  York,  where  the  legislature,  owing  to 
a  disagreement  between  its  two  branches,  omitted  to  pass  a  law 
dictating  the  mode  of  choosing  electors.  The  ten  States  voting 


334  DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1789. 

gave  sixty-nine  electoral  votes,  all  for  George  Washington ;  John 
Adams  received  thirty-four,  and  was  declared  Vice-President. 
At  that  time  the  electors  voted  for  two  persons ;  the  one  receiv 
ing  the  highest  number  being  chosen  President,  and  the  next 
highest,  Vice-President.  A  majority  of  the  whole  number  was 
required  for  the  former,  but  not  for  the  latter.  Adams,  although 
receiving  the  greatest  number  of  votes,  next  to  Washington,  was 
elected  Vice-President  by  a  minority. 

April  1 6th,  Washington  left  Mount  Vernon  for  New  York,  the 
seat  of  government.  He  desired  to  journey  quietly  and  unosten 
tatiously,  but  the  public  feeling  was  too  strong  to  be  suppressed. 
The  entire  route  was  one  spontaneous  ovation.  Crowds  flocked 
around  him  wherever  he  stopped ;  and  corps  of  militia,  with  com 
panies  of  the  most  eminent  citizens,  escorted  him  through  their 
respective  States.  At  Trenton,  he  was  received  by  a  vast  throng 
and  a  magnificent  demonstration,  in  which  figured  garlands  of 
flowers  and  triumphal  arches,  and  young  girls  chanting  with  their 
silvery  voices  praises  to  the  chief  of  the  Republic.  A  print  of 
this  reception — truthful  in  design  if  not  artistic  in  execution — for 
more  than  seventy-five  years  was  one  of  the  most  popular  engrav 
ings  issued.  The  Hudson  River  was  crossed  in  an  elegant  thirteen- 
oared  barge,  manned  by  as  many  pilots,  symbolical  of  the  thirteen 
States. 

The  ceremonies  of  the  inauguration  took  place  on  the  3Oth 
in  Federal  Hall,  a  building  standing  where  the  Sub-Treasury  is 
now  located.  Robert  Livingston,  Chancellor  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  administered  the  oath  in  the  presence  of  a  large  concourse 
of  people,  who  shouted  at  its  conclusion,  "  Long  live  Washington, 
President  of  the  United  States."  The  inaugural  address  was 
then  delivered,  and  replied  to  on  behalf  of  the  Senate  by  John 
Adams,  and  on  the  part  of  the  House  by  Frederick  A.  Muhlen- 
berg,  the  first  Speaker. 

Notwithstanding  the  magnificence  of  the  inaugural  display, 
the  simplicity  of  the  President's  private  life  is  well  attested.  A 
letter,  written  by  Judge  Wingate  and  still  preserved,  gives  an 
account  of  Washington's  first  public  dinner.  "  The  guests  con 
sisted  of  the  Vice-President,  the  foreign  ministers,  the  heads 
of  departments,  the  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  and 
the  senators  from  New  Hampshire  and  Georgia,  the  then  two 
most  northern  and  southern  States.  It  was  the  least  showy 
meal  that  I  ever  saw  at  the  President's  table.  Washington  made 


1789.] 


WASHINGTON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


335 


his  whole  meal  on  a  boiled  leg  of  mutton,  it  being  his  custom  to 
eat  of  but  one  dish.  As  there  was  no  chaplain  present,  the  Presi 
dent  himself,  as  he  was  sitting  down,  said  a  very  short  grace. 
After  the  dessert,  a  glass  of  wine  was  passed,  and  no  toast.  The 
President  then  arose  and  all  the  company,  and  retired  to  the 
drawing-room,  from  which  the  guests  departed  as  every  one 
chose,  without  ceremony." 

The  first  session  of  the  First  Constitutional  Congress  was 
largely  occupied  in  getting  the  machinery  of  the  government  into 
working  order.  The  subjects  of  commerce  and  finance,  and  the 


Knox 


Randolph.  Hamilton. 

WASHINGTON   AND   HIS   CABINET. 


Washington 


organization  of  subordinate  departments  and  the  judiciary,  also 
demanded  attention.  There  were  nominated  by  the  President  and 
confirmed  by  the  Senate  :  Thomas  Jefferson  as  Secretary  of  For 
eign  Affairs  (afterward  known  as  Secretary  of  State)  ;  Alexander 
Hamilton,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ;  Henry  Knox,  Secretary  of 
War,  and  Edmund  Randolph,  Attorney-General.  These  officers 
formed  what  is  called  the  "  President's  Cabinet  " — a  body  unknown 
to  the  Constitution.  John  Jay  was  appointed  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  with  John  Rutledge  of  South  Carolina,  James 
Wilson  of  Pennsylvania,  Robert  H.  Harrison  of  Maryland,  and 
John  Blair  of  Virginia,  associates.  The  appointing  power  of  the 


336  DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1789. 

President  now  came  under  earnest  and  excited  consideration, 
and  it  was  determined  that,  while  it  was  constitutionally  subject 
to  the  assent  of  the  Senate,  the  power  of  removal  rested  with  him 
alone. 

Sixteen  articles  of  amendment  to  the  Constitution  were  ap 
proved  by  Congress  and  sent  to  the  States,  only  ten  of  which, 
however,  were  ratified.  The  most  important  were  those  which 
related  to  religious  toleration,  the  right  to  bear  arms,  unrea 
sonable  searches  of  property  or  homes,  a  speedy  trial  by  jury, 
and  to  the  declaration  that  the  powers  not  delegated  to  the 
United  States  by  the  Constitution,  nor  prohibited  by  it  to  the 
States,  are  reserved  to  the  States  respectively  or  to  the  people. 

The  last  article  was  drawn  to  quiet  the  apprehensions  of  the 
"  strict  constructionists,"  as  they  were  called,  who  feared  lest  the 
power  of  the  government  should  be  unduly  centralized.  Even  in 
the  Constitutional  Convention  political  parties  had  arisen.  Well- 
defined  lines  were  not  drawn,  however,  until  the  meeting  of  Con 
gress.  One  party  desired  to  hold  the  government  to  the  exact 
letter  of  the  Constitution.  These  were  called  "  Republicans," 
and  sometimes  "  Democrats."  The  other,  or  "  Federalist," 
wished  to  enlarge  the  powers  of  the  government  by  inference  and 
implication.  The  first  exercise  of  the  veto  power  by  the  Presi 
dent,  which  occurred  during  this  session,  brought  out  the  dis 
tinction  clearly.  It  was  on  a  bill  fixing  the  ratio  of  representation 
by  counting  all  the  people  of  the  States  as  one  mass,  instead  of 
the  population  of  each  State  severally.  The  veto  was  sustained 
by  Congress,  a  subsequent  bill  on  the  latter-named  principle  being 
passed,  which  is  yet  in  operation. 

Alexander  Hamilton,  the  first  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  be 
came  the  most  prominent  man  of  the  Cabinet.  He  was  born  in  the 
Isle  of  St.  Croix,  West  Indies.  When  only  twelve  years  old,  he 
was  entrusted  with  the  entire  responsibility  of  a  large  shipping- 
house.  At  fourteen,  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  entered 
King's  College.  Early  in  the  Revolution,  he  raised  a  company  of 
artillery,  but  was  soon  made  an  aide-de-camp,  and  won  the  honor 
of  being  called  "  the  right  arm  of  the  commander-in-chief."  At 
the  conclusion  of  the  war,  he  commenced  the  practice  of  law  in 
New  York  City,  where  he  at  once  rose  to  distinction. 

The  chief  features  of  Hamilton's  financial  policy  were  the 
assumption  by  the  general  government  of  the  war  debt  of  the 
several  States,  and  the  payment  of  the  indebtedness  of  the  country 


1790-4.]  WASHINGTON'S  ADMINISTRATION.  337 

dollar  for  dollar,  although  a  large  proportion  of  the  claims  was 
in  the  hands  of  speculators.  These  measures  met  with  bitter  op 
position,  but  their  adoption  was  secured  by  certain  compromises, 
one  of  which  tended  to  allay  the  jealousy  of  the  Southern  people 
toward  New  England.  This  was  the  transfer  of  the  seat  of  gov 
ernment  to  Philadelphia  until  1800,  when  it  was  to  be  permanently 
located  upon  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Potomac. 

The  third  session  of  the  First  Congress  was  accordingly  held 
at  Philadelphia  on  the  first  Monday  of  December,  1790.  At  this 
time  the  United  States  Bank  was  established,  and  also  a  national 
mint.  Both  were  schemes  of  General  Hamilton,  and  tended 
greatly  to  advance  the  prosperity  of  the  country. 

During  the  year  1790,  the  Indians,  both  at  the  South  and  in 
the  Northwestern  Territory,  gave  the  government  much  trouble. 
Some  of  the  Southern  chiefs  were  induced  to  visit  New  York, 
where  a  treaty  was  signed,  by  which  a  considerable  portion  of  the 
territory  of  Georgia  was  relinquished  to  them,  much  to  the  dis 
content  of  that  State.  General  Harmar,  a  veteran  of  the  Revolu 
tion,  being  sent  to  repel  the  hostile  savages  at  the  Northwest,  was 
twice  defeated— October  I7th  and  226. — near  Chillicothe.  General 
St.  Clair  was  appointed  to  succeed  him.  Leaving  Fort  Washing 
ton  with  about  two  thousand  men  (September,  1791),  he  entered 
the  wilderness,  where,  notwithstanding  the  repeated  cautions  of 
the  President  to  "  beware  of  a  surprise,"  he  was  caught  off  his 
guard,  and  his  army  routed  with  great  slaughter. 

In  the  fall  of  1793,  "  Mad  Anthony  "  Wayne  took  the  field  with 
nearly  three  thousand  men.  He  built  Fort  Recovery,  near  the 
scene  of  St.  Clair's  disaster,  where  he  spent  the  winter.  In  the 
summer,  moving  down  the  Maumee,  on  the  2oth  of  August  he  de 
feated  the  Indians  in  a  severely-fought  battle.  Laying  waste  their 
country,  he  compelled  them  to  sue  for  peace.  By  the  treaty  sub 
sequently  made,  the  Indian  title  to  large  tracts  west  of  the  Ohio 
was  extinguished. 

The  Second  Congress,  which  held  its  first  session  October, 
1791,  passed  laws  providing  for  a  uniform  militia  system  ;  a  bounty 
to  vessels  employed  in  the  fisheries ;  an  apportionment  of  repre 
sentation  in  Congress,  the  ratio  being  fixed  at  thirty-three  thou 
sand  for  each  representative ;  and  an  excise  law,  imposing  a  duty 
on  domestic  distilled  spirits.  The  last  occasioned  no  little  alarm, 
especially  in  the  valley  of  the  Monongahela,  where  whiskey  was 
the  principal  article  of  commerce.  The  disaffection  there  assumed 

22 


338  DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1793-6. 

such  proportions  that  it  received  the  name  of  the  "  Whiskey  Re 
bellion."  The  President  was  compelled  to  call  out  the  militia, 
fifteen  thousand  strong,  which  speedily  quelled  the  uprising. 

Although  Washington  desired  to  decline  a  renomination,  he 
finally  yielded  to  the  earnest  wish  of  his  friends.  Party  spirit  ran 
very  high  during  the  second  Presidential  campaign,  the  lines  be 
tween  the  friends  of  Hamilton  and  Jefferson,  the  two  great  lead 
ers  of  the  Federalists  and  the  Republicans,  being  sharply  drawn. 
Washington,  however,  received  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  elec 
toral  college,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two.  Adams,  having  seventy- 
seven  votes,  was  elected  Vice-President. 

The  French  Revolution  was  now  at  its  height,  and  its  influ 
ence  was  strongly  felt  in  the  United  States.  The  representative 
of  France  in  this  country  was  Edmund  Charles  Genet,  better 
known  as  "  Citizen  Genet,"  a  brother  of  the  famous  Madame 
Campan.  He  landed  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  April, 
1793,  but  before  presenting  his  credentials  to  the  government,  he 
fitted  out  privateers  and  enlisted  troops  for  the  French  service. 
He  was  everywhere  enthusiastically  received  by  the  people,  who 
demanded  that  their  old  ally  should  be  assisted  and  war  forthwith 
declared  against  Great  Britain.  This  feeling  was  intensified  from 
the  fact  that  England  still  held  possession  of  the  forts  on  the 
frontier,  which,  by  the  treaty  of  1783,  were  to  have  been  given 
up  ;  while  American  vessels  were  seized  in  French  ports,  and 
American  seamen  impressed  into  English  vessels.  It  required  all 
the  popularity  of  Washington  to  stem  the  tide  and  hold  the  gov 
ernment  to  the  neutrality  which  he  had  proclaimed. 

A  satisfactory  treaty  was  finally  arranged  with  Great  Britain 
by  a  special  envoy,  John  Jay.  It  was  not  considered  favorable 
to  the  United  States,  as  one  of  its  provisions  secured  to  British 
citizens  the  payment  of  debts  due  them  before  the  war.  Party 
animosity  was  inflamed.  The  Federalists  were  claimed  to  have 
been  bought  by  British  gold.  Washington  was  accused  of  being 
an  enemy  of  his  country  and  reproached  in  language  such,  as  he 
said,  could  scarcely  be  "  applied  to  Nero,  a  notorious  defaulter,  or 
even  a  common  pickpocket."  Fisher  Ames  of  Massachusetts 
made  a  memorable  speech  in  Congress  in  behalf  of  the  treaty. 
Vice-President  Adams  thus  described  it  in  a  letter  to  his  wife: 
"  Judge  Iredell  and  I  happened  to  sit  together.  Our  feelings  beat 
in  unison.  '  My  God  !  how  great  he  is,'  says  Iredell.  '  Noble ! ' 
said  I.  '  Bless  my  stars ! '  continued  he,  '  I  never  heard  anything 


1791-6.]  WASHINGTON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  339 

so  great  since  I  was  born.'  '  Divine ! '  said  I  ;  and  then  we  went 
on  with  our  interjections,  not  to  say  tears,  to  the  end — not  a  dry 
eye  in  the  House."  The  treaty  was  ratified,  in  spite  of  all  oppo 
sition,  April  30,  1796. 

Genet,  being  superseded  by  his  government,  remained,  how 
ever,  in  this  country,  and  married  a  daughter  of  George  Clinton. 
He  introduced  into  the  United  States  the  idea  of  democratic 
societies,  similar  to  the  Jacobin  clubs  of  Paris.  One  of  these  was 
the  "  Columbian  Order,"  or,  as  it  was  afterward  styled,  the 
"Tammany  Society,"  organized  by  an  Irishman  named  William 
Mooney. 

Two  important  treaties  were  concluded  in  1795.  One,  with 
Spain,  settled  definitely  the  boundaries  between  the  United  States, 
Louisiana  and  Florida,  and  gave  the  right  to  navigate  the  Missis 
sippi,  and  to  use  New  Orleans  as  a  place  of  deposit  for  ten 
years.  The  other,  with  Algiers,  was  not  quite  so  advantageous 
or  agreeable  to  contemplate.  The  Dey  of  Algiers  had  heard  of 
the  new  nation  which  had  a  commerce,  but  no  navy  to  protect  it. 
He,  therefore,  with  his  corsairs,  unhesitatingly  pounced  upon  our 
merchantmen.  Within  eight  years  they  had  captured  fifteen 
American  vessels  and  made  one  hundred  and  eighty  officers  and 
seamen  slaves.  A  commissioner,  sent  to  confer  with  the  Dey, 
received  the  naive  reply :  "  If  I  were  to  make  peace  with  every 
body,  what  should  I  do  with  my  corsairs?  My  soldiers  would 
take  off  my  head  for  want  of  other  prizes."  Colonel  David  Hum 
phreys  of  Connecticut,  who  had  the  matter  in  charge,  wrote  to 
the  government,  saying,  "  If  we  mean  to  have  a  commerce,  we 
must  have  a  navy  to  defend  it."  Congress  thereupon,  in  1794, 
authorized  the  purchase  or  construction  of  six  frigates.  Mean 
while,  a  most  humiliating  treaty  was  made  with  the  Dey.  The 
United  States  actually  agreed  to  give  eight  hundred  thousand 
dollars  for  the  captives  then  alive,  to  make  him  a  present  of  a 
frigate  worth  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  and  to  pay  an  annual 
tribute  of  twenty-three  thousand  dollars. 

Three  new  States  were  received  into  the  Union  during  Wash 
ington's  term  of  office.  Vermont,  the  fourteenth  State,  was  admit 
ted  to  the  Union  on  the  4th  of  March,  1791.  The  first  settlement 
within  its  border  was  in  the  vicinity  of  Brattleborough,  in  1724. 
The  territory  was  claimed  by  both  New  York  and  New  Hamp 
shire,  and  a  bitter  conflict  arose  in  consequence.  The  jurisdiction 
was  decided  by  the  crown  to  belong  to  the  former  State ;  but  the 


340 


DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC. 


[1792. 


inhabitants,  dissatisfied  with  this  decision,  for  many  years  carried 
on  an  armed  strife  with  the  New  York  authorities.  One  of  the 
most  prominent  leaders  in  the  contest  was  Colonel  Ethan  Allen,  a 
man  of  marked  characteristics,  who  wielded  a  powerful  influence 
over  his  fellow-citizens. 

The  bill  admitting  Kentucky,  the  fifteenth  State,  was  passed 
February  4th,  1792.     Its  early  history  is  inti 
mately  connected  with  the  career  of  Daniel 
Boone,  one  of  the  most  famous  of  hunters 
and   frontiersmen.      He  was  born  in  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1735,  but  spent  his 
youth    and   early   manhood    in    North 
Carolina.      In   1769,  with  five  compan 
ions,  he   penetrated   the  wilderness   to 
the  west  of  Virginia,  where  the  perils 
he  underwent  among  the  Indians  form 
a   most   exciting   personal   history.     In 
1775,  he  founded  Boonesborough.    This 
village  and  Harrodsburgh,  also  settled 

about  the  same 
time,  were  the 


DANIEL    BOONE  S    EXPLORING    EXPEDITION. 


two  oldest  towns  in 
the  West,  with  the 
exception  of  a  few 
French  places  on  the 
Mississippi.  Ken 
tucky  was  then  made 

a  county  of  Virginia.  In  1790,  it  was  formed  into  a  separate 
Territory.  On  its  becoming  a  State,  Boone,  on  account  of  a 
defective  title,  was  unable  to  hold  his  land,  and  removed  to  Mis 
souri,  where  he  died  in  1821.  "  Kentucky  afterward  reclaimed 
his  bones,  and  those  of  his  wife,"  says  Bancroft,  "  and  now  they 
lie  buried  on  the  hill  above  the  cliffs  of  the  Kentucky  River,  over 
looking  the  lovely  valley  of  the  capital  of  that  commonwealth. 
Around  them  are  emblems  of  wilderness  life ;  the  turf  of  the 
blue  grass  lies  lightly  above  them ;  and  they  are  laid  with  their 
faces  turned  upward  and  westward,  and  their  feet  toward  the 
setting  sun." 


1796.]  WASHINGTON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  341 

Tennessee,  the  sixteenth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union  June 
i,  1796.  The  first  settlement  was  made  near  Knoxville  in  1756, 
and  Nashville  was  founded  in  1783.  It  was,  originally,  a  portion 
of  North  Carolina,  but  was  ceded  to  the  general  government  in 
1784.  The  inhabitants  claimed  that  the  cession  was  an  act  of 
usurpation  done  by  their  brethren  to  accomplish  a  "  good  rid 
dance,"  as  it  were,  of  poor  relations.  They  declared  themselves 
independent,  and  set  up  a  government  of  their  own,  calling  their 
country  the  "  State  of  Franklin."  North  Carolina  thereupon  re 
pealed  the  Cession  Act,  but  the  people  of  the  new  State,  intent 
upon  realizing  their  dreams  of  future  greatness,  adopted  a  consti 
tution  and  elected  members  to  the  legislative  bodies.  General 
John  Sevier,  or  Xavier,  for  he  was  of  French  descent,  was  chosen 
governor.  Early  in  life,  he  had  settled  on  the  East  Tennessee, 
where  he  had  so  many  conflicts  with  the  Indians,  followed  by  so 
many  compacts,  that  he  acquired  the  name  of  the  treaty-maker. 
The  manner  in  which  he  gained  a  wife  has  hardly  a  parallel  in  the 
romance  of  matrimony.  While  in  command  of  a  small  stockade 
fort  on  the  Watauga  River,  and  in  hourly  expectation  of  an  attack 
from  the  Cherokee  Indians  under  "  Old  Abraham,"  a  noted  chief, 
he  heard  the  crack  of  a  rifle,  and,  looking  up,  saw  a  tall,  slender 
girl  running  toward  the  fort,  closely  pursued  by  the  savages. 
They  cut  off  her  approach  to  the  gate,  but  she  leaped  the  pali 
sades,  and,  exhausted,  fell  into  the  arms  of  Captain  Sevier.  Her 
name  was  Catherine  Sherrill,  the  acknowledged  belle  and  beauty 
of  that  region.  She  became  the  loving  and  loved  wife  of  the  cap 
tain,  and  the  mother  of  ten  children. 

The  financial  affairs  of  the  "State  of  Franklin"  were  on  too 
unsound  a  basis  to  promise  long  life.  Its  money  was  made  up  of 
certain  domestic  manufactures  and  the  skins  of  wild  animals.  The 
salaries  of  the  officials  were  measured  in  a  manner  that  had  the 
merit,  at  least,  of  novelty.  Those  of  the  governor,  officers  of 
state,  and  judges  were  rated  at  so  many  fox-skins ;  and  those  of 
the  sheriffs,  constables,  and  other  inferior  officers  at  so  many 
mink-skins.  This  was  all  well  enough  until  some  skillful  counter 
feiter  sewed  the  tails  of  valuable  animals  upon  the  skins  of  worth 
less  ones,  and  brought  discredit  upon  the  whole  currency. 

The  disagreement  between  North  Carolina  and  the  would-be 
State  threatened  war,  when,  opportunely,  there  appeared  a  mes 
senger  of  peace  and  good-will,  the  venerable  Bishop  Asbury,  of 
the  Methodist  Church,  who  had  come  to  attend  the  first  confer- 


342  DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1796-7. 

ence  ever  held  west  of  the  Mountains.  The  precepts  he  taught 
converted  many  bitter  partisans  into  brethren  and  friends.  In 
1790,  a  territorial  government  being  organized,  Sevier  was  elected 
to  Congress,  the  first  representative  of  the  vast  region  west  of  the 
great  mountains. 

In  September,  1796,  Washington,  definitely  declining  to  serve 
a  third  term,  presented  to  his  fellow-citizens  his  "  Farewell  Ad 
dress."  It  crowned,  in  a  fitting  manner,  an  illustrious  life,  and  its 
sentiments  of  patriotism  and  its  sagacious  political  maxims  will 
remain  as  a  legacy  to  his  countrymen  through  future  generations. 

The  candidates  of  the  Federal  party  at  the  succeeding  election 
were  Adams  for  President  and  Thomas  Pinckney  for  Vice-Presi- 
dent.  The  Republican,  or  Democratic,  nominee  for  President 
was  Thomas  Jefferson;  for  Vice-President,  the  most  prominent 
was  Colonel  Aaron  Burr. 

While  the  election  was  pending,  the  new  minister  from  France, 
M.  Adet,  addressed  to  the  Secretary  of  State,  and  at  the  same  time 
published  in  the  newspapers,  a  letter,  which  once  more  compli 
cated  our  relations  with  his  country.  He  reproached  the  United 
States  for  violation  of  treaty  obligations,  and  with  ingratitude 
toward  France  and  partiality  toward  England.  He  also  an 
nounced  that  he  had  been  directed  to  suspend  his  ministerial 
functions  with  the  United  States. 

Of  the  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  electoral  votes  cast,  John 
Adams  received  seventy-one,  and  Thomas  Jefferson  sixty-eight. 
They  were  therefore  declared  elected  President  and  Vice-Presi 
dent  respectively. 

Washington  was  present  at  their  inauguration  on  the  4th  of 
March,  1797,  and  then  withdrew  to  Mount  Vernon,  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  days  in  retirement.  His  administration  had 
been  attended  with  a  success  hardly  dreamed  of  at  the  beginning. 
Public  and  private  credit  had  been  restored,  and  ample  provision 
made  for  the  security  and  ultimate  payment  of  the  public  debt ; 
commerce  had  wonderfully  increased ;  American  tonnage  had 
nearly  doubled ;  the  products  of  agriculture  found  a  ready  mar 
ket  ;  exports  had  risen  from  nineteen  million  dollars  to  fifty-six 
million  dollars,  and  the  imports  had  increased  in  about  the  same 
proportion. 

Some  of  the  social  observances  originating  in  the  time  of  Pres 
ident  Washington  have  been  adhered  to  during  successive  ad 
ministrations.  They  were  marked  for  their  simplicity  and  dignity, 


1789-97.] 


^WASHINGTON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


343 


although  coming'  under  the  ban  of  those  who  objected  even  to  the 
minutiae  of  the  conduct  of  the  Republic.  Every  Tuesday  after 
noon,  Washington  gave  formal  levees,  where  considerable  cere 
mony  was  required.  One  who  was  present  on  several  of  these 
occasions  has  left  an  account  of  them.  They  were  held  in  the 
dining-room  of  the  modest  house  occupied  by  the  President,  from 
which  all  seats  had  been  removed  for  the  time,  and  commenced  at 
three  o'clock.  On  entering,  the 
visitor  saw  the  tall,  manly 
figure  of  Washington,  clad 
in  black  silk  velvet,  his 
hair  powdered  and 
gathered  behind  in 
a  large  silk  bag ; 
yellow  gloves  on 
his  hands,  and  hold 
ing  a  cocked -hat 
with  a  black  cock- 


MOUNT  VERNON. 


ade,  and  the  edges  adorned  with  a  black  feather  about  an  inch 
deep.  He  wore  knee  and  shoe  buckles,  and  a  long  sword.  He 
stood  always  in  front  of  the  fireplace,  with  his  face  toward  the 
door  of  entrance.  The  visitor  was  conducted  to  him,  and  his 
name  distinctly  announced.  Washington  received  him  with  a 
dignified  bow,  avoiding  to  shake  hands,  even  with  his  best 
friends.  As  visitors  came,  they  formed  a  circle  round  the  room. 
At  a  quarter  past  three  the  door  closed,  when  the  President  began 
on  the  right,  and  spoke  to  each  person,  calling  him  by  name,  and 
exchanging  a  few  words.  Having  finished  the  circuit,  he  resumed 
his  first  position,  and  the  visitors  approaching  him  in  succession, 
bowed  and  retired.  Within  an  hour  the  ceremony  was  over. 
Washington's  deportment  was  uniformly  grave  ;  it  being  sobriety, 


344  DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1797. 

stopping  just  short  of  sadness.  His  presence  inspired  a  venera 
tion  and  a  feeling  of  awe,  rarely  experienced  in  the  company  of 
any  man. 

Mrs.  Washington's  levees,  at  which  there  were  less  form 
and  ceremony,  were  held  every  Friday  evening,  the  General 
being  always  present. 

Patrick  Henry  was  one  of  those  who  objected  to  any  display 
by  the  President.  He  was  offered  several  positions  under  the 
government,  but  declined,  saying  that  his  habits  of  life  unfitted 
him  to  mingle  with  those  who  were  now  aping  the  manners  of  a 
monarchy. 

John  Adams,  the  second  President  of  the  United  States,  was 
born  in  Quincy,  Massachusetts,  October  19,  1735.  He  was  a  grad 
uate  of  Harvard  College,  and  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He  was 
an  indefatigable  worker,  and  during  the  three  years  and  three 
months  he  served  in  the  Continental  Congress  he  was  a  member 
of  ninety  and  chairman  of  twenty-five  committees.  He  was  of 
middle  stature,  full  person,  and  was  bald  on  the  top  of  his  head. 
His  countenance  beamed  with  intelligence,  and  with  moral  as 
well  as  physical  courage.  His  walk  was  firm  and  dignified,  and 
his  manner  slow  and  deliberate.  He  was  a  man  of  the  purest 
morals,  and  a  firm  believer  in  Christianity — not  from  habit,  but 
from  a  diligent  investigation  of  its  proofs. 

Adams  retained  the  cabinet  left  by  Washington,  viz. :  Timothy 
Pickering,  Secretary  of  State ;  Oliver  Wolcott,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury  ;  James  McHenry,  Secretary  of  War  ;  and  Charles  Lee, 
Attorney-General.  There  were  but  few  marked  features  in  the 
remaining  years  of  the  eighteenth  century.  The  most  impor 
tant  events  were  connected  with  the  threatened  difficulty  with 
France.  Charles  Cotesworth  Pinckney,  the  American  minister, 
had  been  dismissed  by  that  government,  and  orders  had  been 
issued  for  the  French  marine  to  prey  upon  American  com 
merce.  An  extra  session  of  Congress  was  thereupon  called, 
and  Elbridge  Gerry,  John  Marshall,  and  Charles  Cotesworth 
Pinckney  were  appointed  envoys  to  France  to  make  a  new  at 
tempt  at  conciliation.  They  were  met  by  insulting  proposals, 
being  required  to  bribe  the  members  of  the  Directory  at  the 
rate  of  two  hundred  and  forty  thousand  dollars  each.  This 
proposition  was  indignantly  rejected.  Marshall  and  Pinckney 
were  soon  dismissed,  and  Gerry  was  afterward  recalled  by  our 
government.  Great  excitement  was  aroused  in  the  United  States, 


1797-9.] 


ADAMS'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


345 


and  the  motto,  "  Millions  for  defence,  not  a  cent  for  tribute,"  was 
repeated  with  universal  enthusiasm.  Congress  remained  in  ses 
sion  from  November  I3th  to  July  i6th — over  eight  months.  Com 
mercial  intercourse  with  France  was  suspended  ;  a  regular  army 
was  ordered  to  be  raised,  and  a  navy  department  organized ; 
Benjamin  Stoddart,  of  Maryland,  was  appointed  first  secretary ; 
and  General  Washington  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  army, 
Alexander  Hamilton  being  selected  by  him  as  the  active  com 
mander. 

Fortunately,  there  was  no  need  for  their  services ;  the  only 
warlike  demonstrations  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  being  the 
capture,  by  the  frigate  Constella 
tion,  Commodore  Truxton,  of  the 
French  war-vessels  L'Insurgent  and 
La  Vengeance.  In  1799,  Napoleon 
Buonaparte  became  First  Consul 
of  France,  and  with  him,  his  broth 
er,  Joseph  Buonaparte,  acting  as 
one  of  the  commissioners,  the 
United  States  made  an  amicable 
settlement  (1800). 

In  the  summer  of  1798,  owing 
to  the  violent  denunciations  of 
the  government  by  the  friends  of 
France,  Congress  passed  the 
"Alien  and  Sedition  Laws."  The 
former  act  gave  the  President  authority  to  order  any  foreigner, 
whom  he  might  believe  dangerous  to  the  peace,  to  depart  out  of 
the  country,  under  a  very  heavy  penalty  for  disobedience.  It  also 
•extended  the  period  required  for  naturalization  to  fourteen  years. 
The  Sedition  law  made  it  a  crime  for  any  one  to  "  write,  print, 
utter,  or  publish  any  false,  scandalous  or  malicious"  statement 
against  either  Congress  or  the  President,  A  number  of  promi 
nent  men  were  tried  under  these  acts.  The  harshness  with  which 
they  were  treated  inflamed  the  public  mind  to  a  high  pitch  against 
the  Federals,  and  served  to  render  the  administration  of  Adams 
exceedingly  unpopular.  The  legislatures  of  Kentucky  and  Vir 
ginia  passed  denunciatory  resolutions,  which  became  the  corner- 
•stones  of  the  growing  Democratic  party. 

On  the  1 4th  of  December,  1799,  occurred  the  death  of  General 
Washington  at  Mount  Vernon.     The  news  plunged  the  country 


NAPOLEON  BUONAPARTE. 


346  DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1800. 

into  the  deepest  grief,  and  throughout  its  borders,  in  city  and  ham 
let,  there  were  manifestations  of  the  public  sorrow  by  solemn  ser 
vices,  by  the  adjournment  of  all  public  bodies,  and  by  glowing 
eulogies  on  the  character  and  services  of  the  deceased.  His 
remains  were  deposited  in  a  family  vault  on  the  banks  of  the 
Potomac,  where  they  still  lie  entombed. 

In  the  summer  of  1800,  the  seat  of  the  government  was  re 
moved  to  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  here,  on  the  22d  of 
November,  Congress  assembled  and  was  addressed  by  Adams 
for  the  last  time,  as  President.  The  capital  was  then  a  strange 
conglomeration  of  splendid  buildings,  half  finished,  and  wretched 
huts.  Mrs.  Adams  writes  as  follows :  "  I  arrived  in  Washington 
on  Sunday  last,  without  meeting  any  accident  worth  noticing, 
except  losing  ourselves  when  we  left  Baltimore  and  going  eight 
or  nine  miles  on  the  Fredericksburgh  road,  by  which  mistake  we 
were  obliged  to  go  the  other  eight  miles  through  the  woods, 
where  we  wandered  two  hours  without  finding  a  guide  or  path. 
But  woods  are  all  you  see  from' Baltimore  until  you  reach  this 
city,  which  is  only  so  in  name."  Only  one  wing  of  the  Capitol 
had  been  erected ;  the  "  White  House  "  was  a  mere  barrack. 
Near  by  was  a  structure  built  for  the  Treasury  Department,  but 
it  was  so  small  that  it  did  not  afford  comfortable  room  for  the 
clerical  force,  then  fifty  in  number.  The  records  were  deposited  in 
a  building  known  as  Sear's  Store,  which  soon  after  burned,  and 
the  documents,  many  of  them  of  great  value,  were  destroyed. 

A  single  packet-sloop  brought  all  the  office  furniture  of  the 
several  departments  from  Philadelphia,  besides  the  "  seven  large 
boxes  and  four  or  five  smaller  ones,"  which  contained  the  archives 
of  the  government. 

A  quaint  traveler  of  the  period,  speaking  of  the  society  of  the 
capital,  thus  writes :  "  I  obtained  accommodations  at  the  Wash 
ington  Tavern,  which  stands  opposite  the  Treasury.  At  this 
tavern  I  took  my  meals,  where  there  were  to  be  found,  every  day, 
a  number  of  clerks  employed  in  the  different  offices  of  the  govern 
ment,  together  with  about  half  a  dozen  Virginians  and  a  few  New 
England  men.  There  was  a  perpetual  conflict  between  these 
southern  and  northern  men,  and  one  night  I  was  present  at  a 
vehement  discussion  that  ended  in  a  bet." 

In  the  fall  of  1800,  occurred  the  third  presidential  election. 
The  candidates  of  the  Federal  party  were  John  Adams  for  Presi 
dent  and  Charles  C.  Pinckney  for  Vice-President.  The  candi- 


1800.]  ADAMS'S    ADMINISTRATION.  347 

dates  of  the  Republicans  were  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Colonel 
Aaron  Burr.  It  was  a  very  heated  political  contest,  and  resulted 
in  seventy-three  votes  for  Jefferson ;  seventy-three  for  Burr ; 
sixty-five  for  Adams,  and  sixty-four  for  Pinckney.  There  being 
a  tie,  the  election  was  to  be  decided  by  the  House  of  Representa 
tives,  as  provided  by  the  Constitution. 

The  eighteenth  century  closed  with  a  population  in  the  United 
States  of  five  million  three  hundred  and  five  thousand  nine  hun 
dred  and  twenty-five.  There  was  every  prospect  of  continued 
prosperity  and  peace.  The  masses,  contented  arid  happy,  pur 
sued  their  avocations  with  a  certainty  of  protection  and  safety 
under  the  laws.  The  administration  of  Adams,  now  just  ending, 
had  secured  the  respect  of  nations  abroad,  if  it  had  not  gained 
the  popularity  of  the  people  at  home. 

Among  the  many  interests  which  had  an  independent  origin 
during  the  first  twenty  years  of  the  republic,  were  notably  several 
of  the  churches.  The  Methodists  had  an  existence,  though  not 
an  organization,  in  the  country  as  early  as  1776,  there  being  at 
that  time  a  number  of  ministers  of  this  denomination  in  the  colo 
nies.  The  members  of  this  church  suffered  considerably  during 
the  Revolution  from  what  was  thought  to  be  an  undue  partiality 
to  England,  owing  to  their  connection  with  the  Wesleyan  Church 
in  that  country.  In  1784,  Dr.  Coke  was  sent  over  from  England 
as  superintendent  by  Wesley,  and  a  formal  organization  soon 
followed.  In  that  year,  this  body  numbered  forty-three  preachers 
and  thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty  members. 

The  Presbyterian  Church,  having  been  seriously  interrupted 
by  the  Revolutionary  War,  was  reorganized  in  1788.  It  had  then 
one  hundred  and  eighty-four  ministers  and  four  hundred  and 
thirty-five  churches.  The  following  year,  the  first  general  assem 
bly  was  held  in  Philadelphia. 

In  September,  1785,  the  Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in 
the  United  States,  its  first  Bishop  being  Rev.  Samuel  Seabury, 
D.D.,  who  was  consecrated  in  Scotland  in  1784  as  Bishop  of 
Connecticut. 

In  1786,  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  may  be  said  to  have  been 
founded  in  the  United  States,  as,  in  that  year,  Rev.  John  Carroll 
was  appointed  Vicar-General  by  the  Pope,  and  took  up  his  official 
residence  at  Baltimore.  In  1789,  he  was  consecrated  as  the  first 
Roman  Catholic  Bishop  of  the  country. 

The   Unitarians,  as  a  sect,   appeared  first  in   1787,  a  number 


348  DEVELOPMENT  OF  THE  REPUBLIC.       [1768-92. 

during  that  year  seceding  from  the  Episcopal  Church  in  New 
England.  In  1794,  Dr.  Joseph  Priestley  came  to  America,  from 
which  date  may  be  reckoned  the  growth  of  this  denomination. 

Though  the  commerce  of  the  country  was  well  established, 
only  a  mere  glimpse  of  its  rich  mineral  resources  and  its  agricul 
tural  capabilities  had  yet  been  obtained.  The  immense  coal 
fields  of  Pennsylvania  had  been  discovered,  and  small  quantities 
of  coal  had  been  sent  to  market  at  Philadelphia,  but  its  use  was 
not  understood,  and  it  was  finally  broken  up  and  used  to  mend 
the  roads.  Cotton-seed  was  brought  to  Georgia  from  the  Bahamas 
in  1786,  and  its  cultivation  commenced  immediately.  The  cotton- 
gin  of  Eli  Whitney,  patented  in  1794,  increased  its  production 
many  fold,  while  the  Arkwright  machine  for  the  manufacture  of 
cotton,  a  model  of  which  was  brought  to  this  country  by  one  of 
his  apprentices  named  Slater,  still  further  tended  to  its  exten 
sive  cultivation.  The  first  cotton-mill  in  the  United  States  was 
erected  at  Beverly,  Massachusetts,  in  1787. 

Mackenzie  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  origin  of  the 
cotton-gin  :  "  In  1768,  Richard  Arkwright  invented  a  machine  for 
spinning  cotton,  vastly  superior  to  anything  hitherto  in  use.  Next 
year,  a  greater  than  he,  James  Watt,  announced  a  grander  inven 
tion,  his  steam-engine.  England  was  now  ready  to  begin  her  great 
work  of  weaving  cotton  for  the  world  ;  but  where  was  the  cotton 
to  be  found  ?  Three  or  four  years  before  Watt  patented  his 
engine  and  Arkwright  his  spinning-frame,  there  was  born  in  a 
New  England  farm-house  a  boy  whose  work  was  needed  to  com 
plete  theirs.  Eli  Whitney  was  a  born  mechanic.  It  was  a  neces 
sity  of  his  nature  to  invent  and  construct.  As  a  mere  child  he 
made  nails,  pins,  and  walking-canes  by  novel  processes,  and  thus 
earned  money  to  support  himself  at  college.  In  1792,  he  went  to 
Georgia  to  visit  Mrs.  Greene,  the  widow  of  General  Greene  of 
Revolutionary  memory.  In  that  primitive  society,  where  few  of 
the  comforts  of  civilized  life  were  yet  enjoyed,  no  visits  were  so 
like  those  of  the  angels  as  the  visits  of  a  skillful  mechanic.  Eli 
constructed  marvelous  amusements  for  Mrs.  Greene's  children. 
He  overcame  all  household  difficulties  by  some  ingenious  con 
trivance.  Mrs.  Greene  learned  to  wonder  at  him,  and  to  believe 
nothing  was  impossible  for  him.  One  day  she  entertained  a  party 
of  her  neighbors.  The  conversation  turned  upon  the  sorrows  of 
the  planter,  and  that  unhappy  tenacity  with  which  the  seeds  of 
the  cotton  adhered  to  the  fibre  was  elaborately  bemoaned.  With 


1800.]     LIFE  AT   THE   CLOSE   OF  THE   EIGHTEENTH   CENTURY.      349 

an  urgent  demand  from  England  for  cotton,  with  boundless  lands 
which  grew  nothing  so  well  as  cotton,  it  was  hard  to  be  so  utterly 
baffled.  Mrs.  Greene  had  unlimited  faith  in  her  friend  Eli.  She 
begged  him  to  invent  a  machine  which  should  separate  the  seeds 
of  cotton  from  the  fibre. 

"  Eli  had  never  even  seen  cotton  in  seed.  He,  however, 
walked  to  Savannah,  and  there  obtained  a  quantity  of  uncleaned 
cotton.  Returning,  he  shut  himself  in  his  room,  and  brooded 
over  the  difficulty  which  he  had  undertaken  to  conquer.  All  that 
winter  he  labored,  devising,  hammering,  building  up,  rejecting, 
beginning  afresh.  He  had  no  help.  He  could  not  even  buy 
tools,  but  had  to  make  them  with  his  own  hands.  At  length  his 
machine  was  completed,  rude,  but  effective.  Mrs.  Greene  invited 
the  leading  men  of  the  State  to  her  house,  and  conducted  them  in 
triumph  to  the  building  in  which  it  stood.  The  owners  of  un 
profitable  cotton-lands  looked  on,  with  a  wild  flash  of  hope  light 
ing  up  their  desponding  hearts.  Possibilities  of  untold  wealth  to 
each  of  them  lay  in  that  clumsy  structure.  The  machine  was  put 
in  motion.  It  was  evident  to  all  that  it  could  perform  the  work 
of  hundreds  of  men.  Eli  had  gained  a  great  victory  for  man 
kind.  In  that  rude  log-hut  of  Georgia,  Cotton  was  crowned 
King,  and  a  new  era  was  opened  for  America  and  the  world." 

During  the  Revolutionary  struggle,  as  we  have  seen,  the  true 
patriots  suffered  every  inconvenience  and  privation  in  order  to 
assist  the  grand  result.  Sage  and  raspberry  leaves  substituted  a 
beverage  in  place  of  imported  tea.  Coffee  and  chocolate,  sugar 
and  all  kinds  of  spices  disappeared  from  country  towns.  Salt 
was  scarce,  and  salt-pans  were  settled  along  the  sea-coast,  where 
it  was  made  at  expensive  rates.  Women  sometimes  hid  small 
quantities  in  their  pockets,  and  thus  smuggled  it  into  the  country. 
The  mills  being  dismantled  by  both  parties,  people  in  Virginia 
and  elsewhere  were  forced  to  live  on  pounded  corn.  Yet,  amidst 
the  almost  universal  distress,  there  were  exceptions  of  comfort 
and  even  luxury.  There  were  degrees  of  patriotism,  and  love  of 
self  sometimes  dominated  over  love  of  country.  It  is  related  that 
certain  women,  not  having  the  self-denial  to  do  without  their 
favorite  beverage,  had  tea  surreptitiously  served  to  them  in  the 
hot-water  jug,  the  empty  coffee-pot  standing  by  its  side,  to  be 
sent  out,  in  case  of  unexpected  guests,  for  a  supply  of  hastily- 
steeped  sage  or  raspberry  leaves. 

During  Washington's  administration,  soon  after  the  advent  of 


350  DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1783-1800. 

Citizen  Genet,  numbers  of  French  people,  especially  those  living 
in  the  West  Indies,  flocked  to  America.  Although  they  mingled 
but  little  socially  with  Americans,  their  manners  were  servilely 
copied  by  a  certain  set,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  staid  and  sober 
worthies  of  the  time.  The  term  "  French  airs,"  as  a  sobriquet 
of  contempt,  had  its  origin  among  the  respectable  conservatives, 
who  felt  outraged  by  the  new  dispensation  of  fashion. 

Now  came  in  garments  of  a  loose  flowing  exterior,  which,  as  a 
quaint  writer  has  observed,  "  left  it  impossible  to  make  any  mis 
take  as  to  the  real  symmetry  of  the  figures  of  our  belles."  The 
stiff,  hooped  petticoats,  high,  towering  head-dresses,  and  com 
pressed  waists,  gave  place  quickly  to  scant  skirts,  hair  arranged 
after  the  manner  of  the  Goddess  of  Liberty,  and  a  style  of  gar 
ment  known  as  that  of  the  "  First  Empire,"  very  short  as  to  the 
waist,  with  low  corsage,  and  a  skirt  reaching  scarcely  to  the 
ankle.  At  this  time  first  appeared  what  are  called  pantaloons,  in 
distinction  to  breeches  and  stockings.  They  were  garments  with 
feet  on  them,  fitted  close  to  the  leg  and  let  into  the  shoes.  But 
the  American  gentlemen,  less  subject  to  change  than  their  fair 
sisters,  in  their  cocked-hats,  silver-set  buckles,  broad-skirted 
coats,  black  velvet  small-clothes,  and  silk  stockings,  regarded  the 
new  apparel  with  seeming  contempt,  and  it  was  more  than  twenty 
years  before  they  could  be  brought  to  adopt  a  style  that  finally 
led  to  the  wearing  of  the  present  bifurcated  garments. 

To  the  French,  at  this  time,  are  we  indebted  for  confectioneries 
and  bonbons,  jewelry  and  trinkets,  and  an  entire  change  in  our 
notions  of  dancing  and  music.  They  introduced  the  use  of  the 
piano,  and  created  a  love  for  other  musical  instruments,  the  violin 
and  the  clarionet,  while  they  taught  us  the  beauties  of  orchestral 
and  concerted  singing.  The  staid,  measured  English  dances, 
stately,  dignified,  and  monotonous,  gave  way  to  the  lively  quad 
rille  or  cotillion,  with  its  frequent  and  rapid  changes.  Gold 
watches  and  gilded  frames  for  pictures  and  mirrors  came  in  with 
them.  They  established  public  baths  and  transferred  the  liking 
for  cleanliness  from  the  house  and  its  surroundings  to  the  person. 
They  taught  us,  in  our  table  diet,  to  use  soups,  salads,  sweet  oil, 
tomatoes,  and  ragouts,  and  brought  with  them  our  first  notions  of 
mattresses  and  high  bedsteads.  If  they  did  not  succeed  in  mak 
ing  the  United  States  their  allies  in  the  Avar  then  waging,  they 
did  more — they  conquered  the  people  in  their  homes,  and  their 
dominion  in  the  world  of  fashion  continues  to  this  day. 


1800.]      LIFE   AT   THE   CLOSE   OF   THE   EIGHTEENTH   CENTURY.     351 

Gold-headed  canes  and  gold  snuff-boxes  were  still  particularly 
delighted  in  by  old  gentlemen.  It  was  fashionable  to  proffer  a 
stranger  or  an  acquaintance  a  friendly  pinch  of  snuff,  and  if  the 
box  was  of  peculiar  elegance  in  design  or  material,  so  much 
oftener  was  it  brought  out.  It  is  said  of  Silas  Deane,  that  he  had 
one  glittering  with  diamonds,  a  present  from  royalty,  which  he 
was  exceedingly  fond  of  displaying.  His  friends  often  bantered 
him  on  the  subject,  and  Charles  Thomson,  who  knew  him  well, 
once  broke  out  into  a  full  laugh  at  the  persistency  with  which  the 
old  gentleman  urged  it  upon  his  notice. 

Wigs  for  men  and  caps  for  women  disappeared  near  the  close 
of  the  century.  The  wearing  of  boots  was  first  commenced  about 
this  time,  two  prominent  styles  being  called  after  the  famous 
generals,  Suwarrow  and  Wellington.  "  I  remember,"  says  a 
writer,  "  my  first  pair  of  Suwarrows.  They  made  a  part  of  the 
great  equipment  with  which  I  came  from  college  into  the  world. 
Four  skeins  of  silk  did  I  purchase  of  a  mercer,  and  equal  expense 
did  I  incur  with  the  sweeper  for  aid  in  twisting  them  into  tassels. 
I  would  incur  double  the  expense  now  to  have  the  same  feeling 
of  dignity  that  I  enjoyed  then  when  walking  in  those  boots.  I 
stepped  long  and  slowly,  and  the  iron  heels,  which  it  pleased  me 
to  set  firmly  on  the  pavement,  made  a  greater  clatter  than  a  troop 
of  horse,  "  shod  with  felt."  But  if  I  wore  them  with  pride,  it  was 
not  without  suffering,  nor  did  I  get  myself  into  them  without 
labor.  Before  I  attempted  to  draw  them  on,  I  rubbed  the  inside 
with  soap  and  powdered  my  instep  and  heel  with  flour.  I  next 
drew  the  handles  of  two  forks  through  the  straps,  lest  they  should 
cut  my  fingers,  and  then  commenced  the  '  tug  of  war.'  I  con 
tracted  myself  into  the  form  of  a  chicken  trussed  for  the  spit,  and 
whatever  patience  and  perseverance  Providence  had  given  me  I 
tested  to  the  utmost.  I  cursed  Suwarrow  for  a  Scythian,  and 
wished  his  boots  '  hung  in  their  own  straps.'  I  danced  around 
the  room  upon  one  foot  many  times,  and,  after  several  intervals 
for  respiration  and  pious  ejaculation,  I  succeeded  in  getting  my 
toes  into  trouble,  or,  I  may  say,  purgatory.  Corns  I  had,  as 
many  as  the  most  fanatic  pilgrim  would  desire  for  peas  in  his 
shoes,  yet  I  walked  through  the  crowd  (who  were  probably 
admiring  their  own  boots  too  much  to  bestow  a  thought  upon 
mine)  as  if  I  were  a  carpet-knight,  capering  upon  rose-leaves.  I 
was  in  torment,  yet  there  was  not  a  cloud  upon  my  brow.  I 
could  not  have  suffered  for  principle  as  I  suffered  for  those  mem- 


352  DEVELOPMENT    OF    THE    REPUBLIC.  [1783-1800. 

orable  boots.  The  coat  I  wore  was  such  as  fashion  enjoined  ;  the 
skirts  were  long  and  narrow,  like  a  swallow's  tail,  two-thirds  at 
least  of  the  whole  length.  The  portion  above  the  waist  composed 
the  other  third.  The  waist  was  directly  beneath  the  shoulders  ; 
the  collar  was  a  huge  roll  reaching  above  the  ears,  and  there  were 
two  lines  of  brilliant  buttons  in  front.  There  were  nineteen  but 
tons  in  a  row.  The  pantaloons  (over  which  I  wore  the  boots) 
were  of  non-elastic  corduroy.  It  would  be  unjust  to  the  tailor  ta 
say  that  they  were  fitted  like  my  skin  ;  they  sat  a  great  deal 
closer.  When  I  took  them  off,  my  legs  were  like  fluted  pillars,, 
grooved  with  the  cords  of  the  pantaloons." 

Gentlemen  at  this  time  wore  no  beard,  whiskers,  or  mustaches,, 
but  invariably  appeared  with  faces  as  clean-shaven  and  smooth  as 
that  of  a  girl,  a  full  beard  being  held  as  an  abomination,  and  fitted 
only  for  the  Hessians,  heathen  or  Turks. 

In  1793,  the  first  cigars  were  smoked  in  this  country,  being 
used  in  that  year  in  Philadelphia  as  a  preventive  of  the  yellow 
fever,  which  raged  with  considerable  violence. 

Independence  in  political  feeling  was  a  leaven  which  soon 
communicated  itself  to  social  relations.  The  distinction  in  man 
ner  and  in  dress  between  different  classes,  heretofore  so  marked 
as  to  be  instantly  recognized,  now  speedily  disappeared.  Ser 
vants  became  domestics  or  "  helps,"  and  the  titles  master  and 
mistress,  which  had  been  formerly  always  observed,  grew  to  be 
confined  only  to  the  holders  of  negro  slaves.  Equality  in  legal 
rights  seemed  to  be  understood  as  applying  to  all  other  concerns 
in  life.  The  maid-servant  discarded  her  short-gown  and  petti 
coats,  and  copied  the  dress  of  her  mistress  both  in  style  and 
material,  as  far  as  her  purse  would  allow.  The  apprentice  began 
to  blush  at  his  leather  apron  and  breeches  and  his  baize  vest,  and 
supplied  himself,  at  second-hand  or  otherwise,  with  the  fac-simile 
of  his  master's  visiting  suit.  The  title  of  Mr.,  from  being  a  distin 
guished  honor,  grew  to  be  the  essential  accompaniment  of  every 
name,  until  it  has  finally  been  given  indiscriminately  to  every 
male  in  the  land,  and  to  omit  it,  when  speaking  of  a  great  man,  is 
a  sign  of  distinction. 

So  rapidly  did  the  new  ideas  spread,  and  so  marked  was  their 
effect,  that  Lafayette,  on  his  second  visit  to  this  country,  asked 
with  astonishment,  "  But  where  are  the  people?  "  He  saw  only 
crowds  of  well-dressed  citizens,  and  sought  in  vain  for  the  distinc 
tions  which  were  in  force  during  his  previous  sojourn  here. 


1800.]     LIFE  AT  THE   CLOSE   OF  THE   EIGHTEENTH   CENTURY.      353 

About  this  time  carpets  began  to  supersede  the  curved  and 
figured  white  sand.  They  were  used,  however,  to  cover  only  a 
portion  of  the  floor,  in  the  centre  of  the  apartment.  The  unaccus 
tomed  visitor  sometimes  showed  signs  of  genuine  distress  at  being 
obliged  to  walk  on  them,  and  sought,  by  stealing  closely  along 
the  wall,  to  avoid  soiling  the  beautiful  thing  upon  the  floor. 

Large,  deep  fireplaces  were  still  the  rule.  Facing  their  well- 
controlled  and  unvarying  heat,  the  housewives  would  bake  such 
pastry,  bread,  and  biscuits  in  their  open  tin  ovens  as  can  now 
hardly  be  matched ;  while  before  them  were  turned  to  a  crisp 
brown  the  Johnny  or  "Journey  "  cakes  that  had  been  thrown  in 
lumps  from  some  distance  upon  a  broad  board,  and  by  their  own 
cohesion  stuck  fast  until  done.  Dr.  Franklin  had  invented  a  stove 
which,  as  fuel  grew  scarce,  had  gradually  been  coming  into  use» 
although  a  wise  and  thoughtful  physician  had  named  it  "  Frank 
lin's  little  demon."  The  walls  of  the  houses  and  the  ceilings 
were  whitewashed,  and  only  among  the  most  wealthy  could  be 
seen  the  paper  hangings  just  introduced. 

The  lighting  of  the  houses,  but  a  dim  illumination  at  the  best, 
was  accomplished  by  means  of  candles.  Among  the  very  wealthy  > 
wax  ones  were  occasionally  seen,  but  the  most  common  in  use  were 
of  tallow  dipped  or  run  in  moulds,  and  were  set  in  brass  or  copper 
candlesticks.  An  Argand  lamp,  in  which  was  burned  whale-oil, 
was  a  rare  luxury.  Thomas  Jefferson  brought  the  first  one  from 
abroad  near  the  close  of  the  century,  and  presented  it  to  his  friend, 
Charles  Thomson. 


WASHINGTON    AND    LAFAYETTE. 


CHAPTER     X. 

AMERICAN  NATIONALITY  ASSUME®— 1800-1820. 

SHE  people  having  failed  to  elect  a 
President,  the  House  of  Repre 
sentatives,  on  the  nth  of  Febru 
ary,  1801,  began  to  ballot  therefor. 
The  first  count  showed  eight 
States  for  Jefferson,  six  for  Burr, 
and  two  divided.  By  the  popu 
lar  vote,  there  had  been  a  decided 
majority  in  favor  of  Jefferson,  but 
the  "  Federalist"  party  had  the 
greater  number  of  States  in  the 
House,  and  seemed  to  be  deter 
mined  to  defeat  the  people's  will. 
Nineteen  ballots  gave  the  same  result,  the  House  remaining  in 
session  all  night.  On  the  next  day,  there  were  nine  ballots  and 
no  choice.  On  the  I3th,  one  ballot  was  had;  on  the  I4th,  four; 
on  the  i6th,  one — all  with  the  same  result.  On  the  i/th,  two 
ballots  were  cast,  and  on  the  latter  one — the  thirty-sixth  in  all — 
Jefferson  was  elected  President,  and  Burr,  Vice-President. 

March  4,  1801,  the  third  President  took  the  oath  of  office, 
which  was  administered  to  him  by  the  eminent  statesman,  John 
Marshall  of  Virginia,  Chief-Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States. 

Jefferson  was  born  in  Albemarle  county,  Virginia,  on  the 
2d  of  April,  1743.  He  graduated  at  William  and  Mary  College, 
and  fitted  for  the  bar,  where  his  fees  during  the  first  year  of 
his  practice  amounted  to  over  three  thousand  dollars.  In  1774, 
he  published  a  powerful  pamphlet,  entitled  "A  Summary  View  of 
the  Rights  of  British  America."  This  was  republished  in  Great 
Britain  under  the  auspices  of  Burke.  Jefferson  was  the  author 


1801.]  JEFFERSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  355 

of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  The  room  which  he  occu 
pied,  the  desk  at  which  he  sat,  and  the  house  that  sheltered  him 
while  employed  in  its  composition,  are  still  pointed  out  in  Phila 
delphia.  To  Jefferson  we  are  also  indebted  for  the  system  of 
coinage  now  in  use,  with  the  dollar  as  a  unit  and  the  other  denom 
inations  on  a  decimal  basis,  he  giving  them  their  several  names. 
In  1784,  he  wrote  a  little  work,  which  was  greatly  admired,  called 
"  Notes  on  Virginia,"  in  reply  to  certain  questions  put  by  a  French 
gentleman,  embracing  a  general  view  of  his  State,  its  geography, 
government,  etc.  While  Vice-President  under  Washington,  he 
prepared,  at  his  favorite  retreat,  Monticello,  a  manual  for  the 
Senate,  which  became  the  standard  for  Congress,  as  well  as  for 
other  deliberative  bodies. 

In  person,  Jefferson  was  six  feet  two  inches  in  height,  thin,  but 
well  formed,  erect  in  his  carriage,  and  imposing  in  his  appearance. 
His  complexion  was  fair:  his  hair,  originally  red,  became  in  old 
age  white  and  silvery  ;  his  eyes  were  light-blue,  sparkling  with  in 
telligence  and  beaming  with  philanthropy ;  his  nose  was  large,  his 
forehead  broad,  and  his  whole  countenance  indicative  of  great  sensi 
bility  and  profound  thought.  Though  of  aristocratic  birth,  he  was 
intensely  democratic.  He  eschewed  breeches  and  wore  panta 
loons  ;  fastened  his  shoes  with  leather  strings  instead  of  buckles  ; 
abolished  the  Presidential  levees ;  concealed  his  birthday  to 
prevent  its  being  celebrated,  as  the  President's  had  been  hitherto ; 
and  even  disliked  the  term,  Mister.  Washington  went  to  the 
Capitol  in  a  magnificently -decorated  carriage  drawn  by  four 
cream-colored  horses,  and  with  servants  in  livery.  Jefferson  rode 
thither  alone,  on  horseback,  hitched  his  horse  to  a  post,  and,  going 
in,  delivered  a  fifteen-minutes  address.  After  that  he  merely  sent 
his  "  message  "  by  a  secretary,  as  has  been  the  custom  ever  since. 
John  Jay,  in  lamenting  this  tendency  to  republican  simplicity, 
says  that  "  with  small  clothes  and  breeches,  the  high  tone  of 
society  departed." 

The  new  cabinet  was  composed  of  James  Madison,  Secretary 
of  State ;  Henry  Dearborn  of  Massachusetts,  Secretary  of  War ; 
and  Levi  Lincoln  of  Massachusetts,  Attorney-General.  Robert 
Smith  of  Maryland  soon  after  succeeded  Benjamin  Stoddart  as 
Secretary  of  the  Navy,  and  Albert  Gallatin  of  Pennsylvania  fol- 
loAved  Samuel  Dexter  as  Secretary  of  the  Treasury — the  latter 
two  officers  having  been  retained  for  a  short  time  from  Adams's 
cabinet. 


356 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED, 


[1801. 


JEFFERSON    GOING   TO    HIS    INAUGURATION. 


Albert  Gallatin  is 
often  connected,  in  the 
financial  history  of  our 
country,  with  Robert 
Morris  and  Alexan 
der  Hamilton.  These 

three  were  the  founders  of  the  monetary  policy  of  the  Repub 
lic.  When  Gallatin  came  into  the  cabinet,  he  was  directed  by 
the  President  to  scrutinize  with  great  care  the  accounts  of  the 
government,  in  order  to  discover  the  blunders  and  alleged  frauds 
of  Hamilton,  and  to  ascertain  what  charges  could  be  made 
against  him.  The  direction  was  obeyed  very  thoroughly,  as  the 
new  Secretary,  having  no  great  regard  for  the  leading  Federalist, 
came  to  his  task  with  a  good  appetite.  Struck  by  the  almost 
absolute  perfection  of  the  system  of  the  first  head  of  his  depart 
ment,  as  revealed  by  the  examination,  Gallatin  reported  to  the 
President  that  any  change  would  injure  it,  and  that  Hamilton 
had  made  no  blunders  and  committed  no  frauds. 

Such  a  report  was  worthy  to  come  from  one  who,  having  ren 
dered  some  service  to  Mr.  Baring  in  the  negotiation  of  a  loan  to 
France,  and  being  offered  some  shares  which,  without  advancing 


1801.]  JEFFERSON'S  ADMINISTRATION.  357 

a  penny,  would  have  realized  him  a  fortune,  made  this  memorable 
reply  :  "  I  thank  you,  but  I  will  not  accept  your  obliging  offer, 
because  a  man  who  has  had  the  direction  of  the  finances  of  his 
country  as  long  as  I  have,  should  not  die  rich."  In  this  connec 
tion  it  is  worth  remembering  that  Hamilton,  while  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  once  sent  a  note  to  a  friend,  in  which  he  begged  the 
loan  of  twenty  dollars  for  his  personal  use. 

Jefferson's  accession  to  office  was  a  complete  revolution  in  the 
politics  of  the  country,  peacefully,  but  none  the  less  thoroughly 
effected.  The  party  he  represented  had  been  organized  under  his 
auspices  during  the  administration  of  Washington.  It  claimed  the 
name  of  Republican,  while  its  opponents  called  it  Democratic,  a 
word  recently  introduced  from  France.  That  term  involving  the 
looseness,  almost  licentiousness  of  character  which  had  marked  the 
Jacobins  of  Paris,  it  was  seldom  used  or  countenanced  by  Jeffer 
son.  But,  as  often  happens,  this  appellation  given  in  derision  be 
came  a  talisman  and  a  watchword. 

Various  other  nicknames  have  been  applied  to  the  party  at 
different  times.  Thus,  in  Jefferson's  day,  its  members  were  oc 
casionally  styled  Jacobins.  During  Madison's  administration 
the  Republicans  were  called  "  Bucktails,"  from  a  conspicuous 
feature  in  the  uniform  of  a  Tammany  Indian,  that  society  being 
even  then  a  power  in  the  politics  of  the  country.  Later,  as  in 
Jackson's  time,  they  became  "  Loco  Focos,"  because,  at  a  meeting 
in  Tammany  Hall,  the  lights,  having  been  extinguished,  were  relit 
with  loco-foco  matches,  then  just  coming  into  use,  which  several 
of  the  members,  expecting  such  an  event,  had  carried  in  their 
pockets.  Still  later  they  were  termed  "  Hunkers  "  and  "  Barn 
burners,"  "  Hard  Shells"  and  "Soft  Shells." 

The  central  idea  around  which  the  party  revolved  was  the 
diffusion  of  power  among  the  people.  To  this  touchstone  was 
brought  every  principle  that  agitated  the  politics  of  the  country, 
whether  it  related  to  a  national  bank,  a  tariff,  taxes,  or  slavery. 
It  held  that  in  the  States  themselves  resided  the  original  and 
inherent  sovereignty.  For  certain  and  .only  specified  purposes, 
some  of  this  had  been  delegated  in  two  directions — to  the  general 
government,  as  a  bond  of  union  between  all  of  the  States,  and  to 
the  counties,  towns,  cities,  villages,  and  corporations  within  their 
borders,  for  particular  objects.  The  local  authorities  were  to  take 
care  of  all  home  legislation,  while  the  central  government  was  to 
be  made  manifest  only  by  acts  of  a  general  character. 


358  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1801-2. 

Jefferson's  policy  was  fully  set  forth  in  his  first  inaugural- 
Equal  and  exact  justice  to  all  men  ;  peace,  commerce,  and  friendly 
relations  with  foreign  nations,  entangling  alliances  with  none  ; 
the  support  of  the  State  governments  in  their  rights ;  the  preser 
vation  of  the  general  government  in  its  constitutional  vigor ;  a 
jealous  care  of  the  rights  of  election  ;  a  well-disciplined  militia ; 
honest  payment  of  the  debt ;  economy  in  the  public  expenditures ; 
encouragement  of  agriculture  and  commerce ;  freedom  of  the 
press ;  freedom  of  the  person,  and  trial  by  jurors  impartially 
selected. 

In  June,  Jefferson  removed  Elizur  Goodrich,  a  Federalist, 
from  the  office  of  Collector  of  the  port  of  New  Haven,  appointing 
in  his  place  Samuel  Bishop,  a  Democrat.  This  was  the  first  dis 
placement  for  political  causes,  and,  as  it  happened,  was  a  case  of 
peculiar  hardship,  as  Mr.  Goodrich  was  nearly  eighty  years  of 
age  and  quite  infirm.  In  Jefferson's  letter  defending  his  action  is 
found  the  doctrine  which  Governor  William  L.  Marcy  afterward 
curtly  expressed  in  the  apothegm,  "  To  the  victors  belong  the 
spoils."  It  also  contains  a  sentence  that  has  become  almost  a 
proverb — "  If  a  due  participation  of  office  is  a  matter  of  right, 
how  are  vacancies  to  be  obtained  ?  Those  by  death  are  few,  by 
resignation  none." 

The  Sedition  Act  was  now  almost  immediately  repealed,  and 
those  persons  suffering  its  penalties  in  the  different  jails  through 
out  the  country  were  released.  The  alien  law  was  also  modified 
by  reducing  the  time  of  naturalization  to  five  years. 

Among  other  congressional  measures  were  the  establishment 
of  a  military  academy  at  West  Point,  which  had  been  recom 
mended  by  Washington ;  the  discontinuance  of  the  internal  tax 
on  distilled  spirits  and  a  variety  of  other  manufactures ;  the 
appropriation  of  seven  million  and  three  hundred  thousand  dol 
lars  annually  to  the  sinking  fund  ;  the  prohibition  of  the  importa 
tion  of  slaves  into  any  of  those  States  which  had  themselves 
forbidden  their  admission  ;  and  the  founding  of  a  public  library. 

The  last-named  bill  was  approved  by  the  President  on  the 
26th  of  January,  1802,  and  John  Beckley  of  Virginia,  the  clerk  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  was  appointed  librarian.  In  April 
of  that  year,  the  catalogue  of  the  library  embraced  two  hundred 
and  twelve  folios,  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  quartos,  five  hun 
dred  and  eighty-one  octavos,  seven  duodecimos,  and  nine  maps. 
The  nucleus  of  the  library  was  ordered  from  London  by  Samuel 


1802.] 


JEFFERSON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


359 


A.  Otis,  who  was  for  twenty-five  years  the  honored  Secretary  of 
the  Senate.  The  books  reached  this  country  packed  in  trunks, 
and  were  forwarded  to  the  new  metropolis,  where  they  were 
assigned  a  room  in  the  "  Palace  in  the  Wilderness,"  as  the  unfin 
ished  Capitol  was  then  derisively  called  by  those  who  preferred 
New  York  or  Philadelphia  as  the  seat  of  government.  The  loca 
tion  of  the  library  was  changed  several  times,  once  because  the 
books  were  damaged  by 
a  leaky  roof.  In  the  ab 
sence  of  other  suitable 
places  in  the  primitive 
city,  it  became  a  great 
resort  for  students,  poli 
ticians,  and  even  fashion 
able  people. 

It  is  related  of  Chief- 
Justice  Marshall,  that 
once,  in  taking  a  book 
from  an  upper  shelf  in 
one  of  the  alcoves,  he 
pulled  down  a  number 
of  ponderous  tomes, 
which  threw  him  to  the 
floor.  Recovering  his 
footing,  the  old  gentle 
man  dryly  remarked, 
"  I've  laid  down  the  law 
out  of  the  books  many  a 
time  in  my  long  life,  but 

this  is  the  first  time  they  have  laid  me  down !  "  In  one  of  the 
many  alcoves,  where  the  belles  of  those  days  came  to  receive  the 
homage  of  their  admirers,  a  wealthy  member  of  Congress,  who 
was  preparing  himself  for  a  speech,  heard  near  by  the  voice  of 
his  daughter,  whom  some  penniless  adventurer  was  persuading 
to  elope  with  him.  The  irate  father  hastened  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
proceeding,  and  adjourned  the  action  sine  die. 

Ohio,  the  seventeenth  State  of  the  Union,  was  received  No 
vember  29,  1802.  The  name  was  derived  from  that  of  its  principal 
stream,  meaning  "  River  of  blood."  It  was  the  first  State  carved 
out  of  the  Northwestern  Territory.  This  region  was  explored 
in  1680  by  the  French  voyageur  La  Salle.  A  company  of  emi- 


CHIEF-JUSTICE  MARSHALL   IN  THE   LIBRARY   OF   CONGRESS. 


360  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1802. 

grants  from  New  England  went  through  the  wilderness  to  Pitts- 
burg  in  1787.  Here  they  built  a  boat,  the  Mayflower,  in  which, 
the  next  spring,  they  floated  down  the  Ohio.  Landing  opposite 
Fort  Harmar,  they  made  the  first  permanent  settlement,  which 
they  named  Marietta,  after  Marie  Antoinette,  the  queen  of  France. 
The  next  year,  Cincinnati,  then  called  Losanteville,  was  founded. 
At  the  time  of  the  cession  of  this  territory  to  the  United  States, 
Virginia  reserved  three  million  seven  hundred  and  nine  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  forty-eight  acres  near  the  rapids  of  the  Ohio, 
for  her  State  troops,  and  Connecticut  three  million  six  hundred 
and  sixty-six  thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-one  acres  near 
Lake  Erie,  thus  laying  the  foundation  of  her  large  school  fund. 
In  1800,  the  jurisdiction  over  these  two  tracts  was  relinquished 
to  the  general  government,  the  States  selling  the  soil  to  settlers. 
Cleveland  was  settled  in  1796,  on  a  portion  of  the  Connecticut 
Reserve  sold  to  a  company  from  that  State,  and  surveyed  by 
Moses  Cleveland. 

In  1802,  Jefferson  received  information  that  Spain,  by  a  secret 
treaty,  had  ceded  to  France  the  tract  called  Louisiana,  reaching 
from  the  Mississippi  River  to  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Soon  after,  it 
was  announced  that  the  treaty-right  to  the  use  of  New  Orleans  as 
a  place  of  deposit  for  the  United  States  had  ceased.  A  war  with 
Spain  seemed  imminent.  Jefferson,  bent  on  a  pacific  policy,  sent 
James  Monroe  as  minister  plenipotentiary  to  act  with  Mr.  Liv 
ingston  at  Paris,  for  the  purchase  of  New  Orleans  and  the  Flor- 
idas.  Buonaparte,  being  then  on  the  verge  of  a  war  with  England, 
in  which  he  would  be  likely  to  lose  his  continental  possessions, 
and  also  being  in  want  of  money,  instructed  his  ministers  to  sell 
not  only  New  Orleans,  but  the  whole  of  Louisiana,  for  fifty 
millions  of  francs.  Instead  of  the  cession  of  a  town  and  its  incon 
siderable  territory,  Monroe  now  found  a  vast  portion  of  the  conti 
nent  at  his  disposal.  He  had  asked  for  the  mere  privilege  of 
navigating  the  Mississippi,  and  its  entire  sovereignty  was  within 
his  grasp.  The  sum  fixed  by  Buonaparte  being  considered  too  low 
by  M.  de  Marbois,  he  stated  the  price  at  eighty  millions,  twenty 
of  which  were  to  be  used  in  paying  debts  due  by  France  to  the 
citizens  of  the  United  States,  arising  from  seizures  of  ships  made 
in  time  of  peace.  The  First  Consul  was  so  much  pleased  with  the 
bargain  that  he  made  his  minister  a  present  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety-two  thousand  francs. 

Of  this  acquisition,  Livingston  said  to  Monroe,  "  We  have  lived 


1803-4.]  JEFFERSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  361 

long,  but  this  is  the  noblest  work  of  our  whole  lives  ; "  while 
Napoleon  exclaimed,  "  This  accession  of  territory  strengthens 
forever  the  power  of  the  United  States ;  and  I  have  just  given  to 
England  a  maritime  rival  that  will,  sooner  or  later,  humble  her 
pride." 

Much  difference  of  opinion  existed  in  the  United  States  as  to 
the  constitutionality  of  the  purchase,  and  Jefferson  himself  believed 
that  an  amendment  to  the  Constitution  was  necessary ;  but  the 
action  of  his  ministers  was  so  generally  approved  that  none  was 
ever  presented.  The  treaty  was  ratified  by  the  Senate  on  the  2oth 
of  October,  1803,  by  a  vote  of  twenty -four  to  seven,  and  the  reso 
lutions  in  the  House  providing  for  the  payment  of  the  money  and 
the  government  of  the  new  territory,  passed  by  a  vote  of  ninety 
to  twenty-five. 

Louisiana  then  comprised  one  million  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty-one  square  miles,  with  a 
mixed  population  of  eighty  or  ninety  thousand  French,  Spaniards, 
Creoles,  Americans,  English,  Germans,  and  slaves,  besides  an  un 
counted  horde  of  savages.  Out  of  this  magnificent  domain  we 
have  since  cut  five  States,  five  Territories,  and  parts  of  four 
States  and  of  one  Territory.  On  Jefferson's  recommendation,  an 
expedition,  under  the  command  of  Captains  Lewis  and  Clarke, 
was  sent  to  explore  the  new  territory.  It  occupied  about  two 
years  and  three  months,  and  the  history  of  their  adventures  forms 
one  of  the  most  romantic  and  thrilling  episodes  in  the  annals  of 
the  western  country.  They  were  eminently  successful  in  geo 
graphical  discoveries,  and  brought  back  the  first  accurate  in 
formation  respecting  this  previously  unknown  half  of  the  con 
tinent. 

In  1804,  the  twelfth  amendment  to  the  Constitution  was  sub 
mitted  to  the  people,  and  ratified  by  thirteen  of  the  States.  It 
ordained  that  thereafter  the  electors  were  to  designate  which  per 
sons  were  voted  for  as  President  and  as  Vice-President.  The  idea 
originated  with  the  Republicans,  in  order  to  provide  against  the 
chance  of  another  disappointment  such  as  had  threatened  them  in 
1801  ;  and  it  was,  of  course,  opposed  by  the  Federalists. 

The  Barbary  States,  notwithstanding  the  treaty  with  Algiers, 
were  still  committing  depredations  on  the  commerce  of  the  United 
States.  Their  insolence  and  audacity  were  fast  becoming  unbear 
able.  When  Captain  Bainbridge,  in  1800,  paid  the  annual  tribute, 
the  Dey  demanded  the  use  of  his  vessel  to  convey  an  ambassador 


362  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1804. 

to  the  Sultan  at  Constantinople.  Bainbridge  remonstrated,  but 
the  Dey  haughtily  said,  "  You  pay  me  tribute,  by  which  you  be 
come  my  slaves,  and,  therefore,  I  have  a  right  to  order  you  as  I 
think  proper."  His  vessel  being  under  the  guns  of  the  pirate's 
castle,  Bainbridge  was  forced  to  comply.  The  mission,  after  all, 
had  something  of  a  recompense,  for  the  captain  was  the  first  to 
display  the  flag  of  the  Republic  on  the  waters  of  the  Golden 
Horn  and  before  the  minarets  of  Istamboul ;  and  the  Sultan  re 
garded  it  as  a  favorable  omen  of  future  friendship  between  the 
two  nations,  that  his  flag  bore  the  device  of  the  crescent  moon, 
and  the  American  that  of  a  group  of  stars. 

The  Bey  of  Tripoli  and  the  Bashaw  of  Tunis  both  now 
demanded  tribute  of  the  United  States.  In  1804,  Commodore 
Preble  was  sent  with  a  squadron  to  bring  them  to  terms.  He 
succeeded  completely  in  humbling  their  pretensions,  and  peace 
was  declared,  although  sixty  thousand  dollars  was  paid  as  a  ran 
som  for  our  captive  sailors.  Lieutenant  Decatur  performed  a 
brilliant  exploit  during  this  brief  conflict.  The  Philadelphia,  a 
United  States  frigate,  had  struck  on  a  rock  in  the  Tripolitan  har 
bor,  and  before  she  could  be  extricated  was  captured,  her  officers 
and  crew  being  made  prisoners  of  war.  Decatur,  with  seventy- 
six  comrades,  sailed  into  the  harbor  on  the  i6th  of  February,  1804, 
right  under  the  guns  of  the  castle,  boarded  the  ship,  killed  or 
drove  into  the  sea  her  turbaned  defenders,  set  her  on  fire,  and 
escaped  without  the  loss  of  a  man. 

Aaron  Burr,  the  Vice-President,  was  a  small,  fair-complex- 
ioned,  brilliant-eyed,  fascinating  man,  eight  and  forty  years  of 
age ;  a  wit,  a  beau,  a  good  scholar,  a  polished  gentleman,  a  liber 
tine,  and  an  unscrupulous  politician.  He  was  now  a  candidate 
for  the  office  of  Governor  of  the  State  of  New  York.  During  the 
bitter  and  heated  contest,  Alexander  Hamilton  uttered  some 
words  in  regard  to  Burr  that  he  considered  derogatory ;  where 
upon,  maddened  by  defeat,  he  challenged  Hamilton  to  a  duel. 
July  11,  1804,  the  two  met  at  Weehawken,  New  Jersey,  on  the 
same  spot  where,  only  a  short  time  before,  Hamilton's  son  had 
been  killed  in  a  so-called  affair  of  honor.  Only  one  shot  was 
exchanged,  and  Hamilton,  who  had  fired  in  the  air,  was  mortally 
wounded. 

Burr,  being  indicted  both  in  New  York  and  in  New  Jersey,  fled 
to  Philadelphia.  The  heartless  character  of  the  man  may  be  seen 
in  the  fact  that,  having  renewed  proposals  of  marriage  to  a  young 


1804-5.] 


JEFFERSON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


363 


lady  of  that  city,  he  wrote  to  his  daughter,  "  If  any  male  friend  of 
yours  should  be  dying  of  ennui,  recommend  him  to  engage  in  a 
duel  and  a  courtship  at  the  same  time." 

Public  sentiment  with  regard  to  the  duel  was  divided.  By 
some,  it  was  said  of  Hamilton,  that  "  he  had  lived  like  a  man  and 
died  like  a  fool."  In  the  South,  where  the  bloody  code  of  the 
duello  was  recognized,  Burr  was  greeted  as  a  hero  ;  and  in  strong 
Republican  localities  as  "  the 
slayer  of  the  arch-enemy  of  Re 
publicanism."  At  the  national 
capital,  the  "best  society" 


treated  him  with  respect,  and 
even  in  the  lower  House  of 
Congress,  a  leading  partisan 
said,  "  The  first  duel  I  ever 
heard  of  was  that  of  David  killing  Goliath. 
Our  little  David  of  the  Republicans  has 
killed  the  Goliath  of  the  Federalists,  and 
for  this  I  am  willing  to  reward  him."  But 
the  virtuous  and  moral  were  filled  with 
disgust,  if  not  with  horror,  and  echoed  the  sentiments  of  a  senator 
ivho  exclaimed,  "  God  grant  it  may  be  the  last  time,  as  it  is  the 
first,  that  ever  a  man  indicted  for  murder  presides  in  the  Amer 
ican  Senate."  Burr's  political  career,  however,  was  ended,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  session,  he  stepped  down  from  the  second  office  in 
the  gift  of  the  people,  a  ruined  man. 

In  the  fifth  presidential  campaign,  Jefferson  was  renominated 
on  the  Republican  ticket,  with  George  Clinton,  of  New  York,  for 


364  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1805-6. 

Vice-President.  The  Federalists  offered  Pinckney  of  South  Caro 
lina  and  Rufus  King  of  New  York.  Such  was  Jefferson's  popu 
larity,  that  the  Federal  candidates  carried  but  two  States,  and  the 
Republicans  fifteen. 

The  second  session  of  the  Eighth  Congress  is  memorable  for 
two  things.  First ;  the  attempt  to  introduce  gunboats  for  coast 
defence.  This  was  one  of  Jefferson's  favorite  projects.  No 
general  confidence,  however,  was  felt  in  the  plan,  and  when  a 
number  of  the  boats  were  driven  on  shore  and  wrecked,  their  loss 
was  not  regarded  as  a  misfortune ;  while  the  officers  of  the  navy 
openly  expressed  their  satisfaction.  Second ;  at  this  time  was 
seen  for  the  first  the  caucus  system — a  word  said  to  have  had 
its  origin  in  the  term  "  calk-house  " — a  building  in  Boston  where 
the  ante-Revolutionary  patriots  held  their  meetings.  There  was 
now  far  less  independent  discussion,  the  action  of  the  friends 
of  the  administration  being  determined  beforehand  in  a  private 
meeting. 

The  defection  of  John  Randolph  of  Roanoke  from  the  Repub 
lican  ranks,  about  1806,  created  considerable  excitement.  He  had 
been  a  staunch  friend  of  Jefferson's,  but  the  President  having  re 
fused  to  appoint  him  minister  to  England,  Randolph  took  um 
brage,  and  henceforth  assailed  the  administration  at  every  point. 
He  was  a  genius  of  the  first  order,  and  famous  for  his  wit  and 
satire.  "  For  over  thirty  years,"  says  Benton,  "  he  was  the  polit 
ical  meteor  of  Congress,  blazing  with  undiminished  splendor ;  a 
planetary  plague,  shedding  not  only  war  and  pestilence  on  nations, 
but  agony  and  fear  on  members." 

"  All  parties  feared  him :  each  in  turn 

Beheld  its  schemes  disjointed, 
As  right  or  left  his  fatal  glance 

And  spectral  finger  pointed. 
Sworn  foe  of  Cant,  he  smote  it  down 

With  trenchant  wit  surpassing ; 
And,  mocking,  rent  with  ruthless  hand 

The  robe  Pretence  was  wearing." 

Randolph  originated  many  queer  and  quaint  phrases  that  have 
passed  into  the  political  vocabulary,  and  are  still  current.  In 
the  fierce  debates  on  the  Missouri  Compromise  measures,  he  gave 
to  the  Northern  men  who  sustained  the  South,  the  name  of"  dough 
faces  " — an  appellation  that  clung  to  them  for  years.  He  enun 
ciated  the  doctrine  of  State  rights  in  the  single  sentence  :  "  When 


1807.]  JEFFERSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  365 

I  speak  of  my  country,  I  mean  the  commonwealth  of  Virginia." 
While  in  Russia,  on  being  presented  to  the  Emperor,  he  said,  in 
his  thin,  piping  voice,  "  How  are  you,  Emperor?  How's  madam  ?  " 
"  I  am  pleased,"  said  a  gentleman  to  him,  when  meeting  him  for 
the  first  time,  "to  make  the  acquaintance  of  so  distinguished  a 
public  servant.  I  am  from  the  city  of  Baltimore.  My  name,  sir, 
is  Blunt."  "  Blunt — oh  !  "  replied  Randolph  ;  "  I  should  think  so, 
sir,"  and  deigned  him  no  further  notice.  "  I  have  had  the  plea 
sure,  Mr.  Randolph,"  remarked  another  to  him,  "  of  passing  your 
house  recently."  "  I  am  glad  of  it,"  was  the  curt  reply;  "  I  hope 
you  will  always  do  it,  sir." 

Aaron  Burr,  after  his  duel  with  Hamilton,  wrote  to  his  son-in- 
law,  Governor  Alston  of  South  Carolina :  "  In  New  York,  I  am  to 
be  disfranchised,  and  in  New  Jersey  hanged.  Having  substantial 
objections  to  both,  I  shall  not,  for  the  present,  hazard  either,  but 
shall  seek  another  country.  Where?"  This  question  he  never 
answered,  but  his  restless  spirit  drove  him  West,  and  in  that  vast 
region  he  conceived,  as  is  claimed,  the  design  of  forming  a  new 
empire.  The  two  persons  most  conspicuous  in  his  scheme  were 
General  James  Wilkinson  and  Harman  Blennerhassett ;  the  former 
betrayed  him,  and  the  latter  he  ruined. 

The  career  of  Blennerhassett  was  as  romantic  as  its  end  was 
sorrowful.  With  a  wife  of  exquisite  beauty,  and  an  ample  fortune, 
he  left  his  home  in  Ireland  and  came  to  this  country.  Attracted 
by  a  lovely  island  in  the  Ohio  River,  he  beautified  and  adorned 
it,  and  was  living  there  in  what  is  described  as  "  a  second  para 
dise."  Fascinated  by  Burr,  he  was  led  into  the  wild  venture 
in  which  he  saw  his  fortune  melt  away  and  his  home  pass  into  the 
hands  of  others  ;  for  the  whole  gorgeous  vision  that  Burr  had  con 
jured  up  vanished  as  suddenly  as  frostwork  in  the  sunbeam. 
Political  animosity  sent  the  first  whispers  of  suspicion  over  the 
mountains.  Burr  was  accused  of  a  conspiracy  to  detach  the 
Western  States  and  form  another  republic,  of  which  he  was  to  be 
president.  With  Blennerhassett  and  a  number  of  others,  he  was 
arrested  and  brought  to  Richmond,  Virginia.  His  trial,  on  a 
charge  of  high-treason,  began  in  March,  1807,  and  continued  all 
summer.  No  overt  act,  however,  could  be  proved,  and  he  was 
acquitted.  The  other  prisoners  were  thereupon  released. 

This  year  is  memorable  for  the  success  that  crowned  the  efforts 
of  Robert  Fulton  at  steam  navigation.  Though  others  had  con 
ceived,  he  was  the  first  to  realize  the  idea.  Fitch,  seventeen  years 


366  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1807. 

before,  had  placed  upon  the  Delaware  a  steamboat  which  made 
several  trips,  but  the  attempt  had  been  abandoned  as  impractica 
ble.  In  1807,  however,  Fulton's  boat,  the  Clermont,  was  launched 
upon  the  Hudson  and  made  regular  passages  between  New  York 
and  Albany  at  the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour.  "  The  vessel,"  says 
a  writer,  "  presented  the  most  terrific  appearance.  The  dry  pine- 
wood  fuel  sent  up  many  feet 
above  the  flue  a  column  of  ig 
nited  vapor,  and,  when  the  fire 
was  stirred,  tremendous  show 
ers  of  sparks.  The  wind  and 
tide  were  adverse  to  them,  but 
the  crowds  saw  with  astonish 
ment  the  vessel  rapidly  ap- 
PULTON'S  STEAMBOAT.  preaching  them  ;  and  when  it 

came  so  near  that  the  noise  of 

the  machinery  and  paddles  was  heard,  the  crews  of  other  vessels, 
in  some  instances,  shrunk  beneath  their  decks  from  the  terrific 
sight ;  while  others  prostrated  themselves,  and  besought  Provi 
dence  to  protect  them  from  the  approach  of  the  horrible  monster 
which  was  marching  on  the  tide,  and  lighting  its  path  by  the  fire 
that  it  vomited." 

It  is  related  of  a  gentleman,  well  known  in  the  business  circles 
of  New  York,  that  one  day,  being  in  haste  to  reach  Albany,  and 
seeing  the  Clermont  ready  to  start,  he  went  aboard.  Entering 
the  cabin,  he  saw  a  gentleman  who,  on  inquiry,  he  learned  was 
Fulton.  Being  told  that  the  fare  was  six  dollars,  he  counted  that 
sum  into  his  hands.  Fulton  held  the  money  for  some  time,  look 
ing  at  it  quietly,  and  then  remarked,  "  This  is  the  first  penny  I 
have  received  in  my  long  effort  to  bring  this  discovery  to  a  suc 
cess.  I  am  too  poor,  else  would  we  have  a  bottle  of  wine  together 
to  mark  the  event."  Ten  years  later,  the  same  gentleman,  going 
up  the  Hudson  in  one  of  the  numerous  boats  that  then  plied  upon 
the  river,  again  saw  Fulton,  who,  accosting  him,  proposed  that, 
as  times  had  changed,  they  should  now  take  that  bottle  of  wine ; 
which  they  did,  recalling  with  great  pleasure  the  memory  of  their 
first  trip  together. 

In   1812,   Fulton  built  at   Pittsburg   the   first  steamer  to  ply 
upon    the    Mississippi.      Leaving   its    dockyard    in    October,    it 
reached  New  Orleans,  after  which  it  was  named,  in  December. 
The  year  1807  was  also  marked  by  the  publication  by  Wash- 


1807.]  JEFFERSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  367 

ington  Irving,  the  first  and  best  of  American  humorists,  of  his 
earliest  work,  "  Salmagundi,  or  the  Whim-Whams  and  Opinions 
of  Launcelot  Langstaff,  Esq.,  and  Others."  It  was  followed  in 
1809  by  his  "  Knickerbocker's  History  of  New  York,"  which 
placed  him  at  once  among  the  foremost  authors  of  the  age. 

France  and  England  were  now  engaged  in  a  desperate  war ; 
and  the  strife  affected  the  whole  civilized  world.  By  its  "  Orders 
in  Council,"  England  had  declared  all  vessels  engaged  in  con 
veying  West  India  produce  from  the  United  States  to  Europe 
legal  prizes,  and  several  ports  under  the  control  of  the  French  in 
a  state  of  blockade.  Napoleon  thereupon  issued  the  "  Berlin 
Decree,"  which  forbade  the  introduction  of  English  goods  into 
any  port  of  Europe,  even  by  the  vessels  of  neutral  powers. 
Other  "  Orders  in  Council "  declared  the  whole  coast  of  Europe 
in  a  state  of  blockade  ;  which  Napoleon  followed  with  his  "  Milan 
Decree,"  confiscating  all  vessels  and  cargoes  violating  the  "  Berlin 
Decree,"  and  all  vessels  that  should  submit  to  be  searched  by  the 
English.  The  United  States  was  the  chief  sufferer  by  these 
vindictive  measures,  and  expostulated,  but  in  vain.  "  Join  me  in 
bringing  England  to  reason,"  said  Napoleon.  "  Join  us  in  putting 
down  the  disturber  of  the  world,"  replied  England. 

The  feeling  in  the  United  States  was  intensified  by  an  insult 
offered  to  the  country  on  the  22d  of  June,  1807,  when  the  British 
ship  Leopard  fired  into  the  American  vessel  Chesapeake  off  the 
coast  of  Virginia.  The  American  frigate,  being  wholly  unpre 
pared  for  battle,  soon  struck  her  colors.  Four  of  the  crew,  three 
being  Americans  by  birth,  were  taken,  on  the  pretence  that  they 
were  deserters.  This  act  was  promptly  disavowed  by  the  English 
government,  but  no  reparation  was  made.  On  the  22d  of  Decem 
ber  following,  Congress  passed  the  celebrated  "  Embargo  Act," 
by  which  all  American  vessels  were  prohibited  from  sailing  for 
foreign  ports  ;  all  foreign  vessels  from  taking  out  cargoes ;  and  all 
coasting-vessels  were  required  to  give  bonds  to  land  their  cargoes 
in  the  United  States. 

This  bill  was  violently  opposed  by  the  Federal  party,  and  was 
extremely  unpopular  in  the  States  engaged  in  commerce.  The 
opponents,  spelling  the  name  backward,  nicknamed  it  the  O  grab 
me  Act.  De  Witt  Clinton,  a  nephew  of  the  Vice-President,  was 
chairman  of  an  indignation  meeting  in  New  York  city,  and  with 
drew  his  support  from  the  administration.  John  Quincy  Adams, 
who  had  favored  the  act,  finding  his  course  was  not  approved  by 


368  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1809. 

the  Legislature  of  his  State,  resigned  his  seat  in  the  Senate,  and 
informed  the  President  that  New  England,  if  the  measure  were 
persisted  in,  would  separate  from  the  Union,  at  least  until  the 
obstacles  to  commerce  were  removed  ;  that  the  plan  had  already 
been  adjusted,  and  it  would  be  supported  by  the  people. 

Although  Jefferson  had  received  addresses  from  several  Legis 
latures  asking  him  to  serve  a  third  term,  he  declined,  preferring 
to  follow  the  precedent  established  by  Washington.  James  Mad 
ison,  Secretary  of  State,  was  thereupon  nominated  for  President 
by  the  Legislature  of  Virginia,  and  he  was  soon  after  accepted  by 
the  Republican  members  of  Congress.  The  election  resulted  in 
one  hundred  and  twenty-two  votes  for  Madison,  and  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  for  Clinton  as  Vice-President.  The  Federal  candi 
dates,  who  were  the  same  as  at  the  preceding  election,  received 
only  forty-seven  votes. 

Before  the  conclusion  of  his  term  of  office,  Jefferson  recom 
mended  that  Congress  should  repeal  the  Embargo  Act.  This  was 
adopted  so  far  as  related  to  all  nations  except  France  and  Great 
Britain. 

March,  4,  1809,  James  Madison  was  inaugurated  fourth  President 
of  the  United  States.  He  was  born  in  King  George  county,  Vir 
ginia,  March  16,  1751.  Having  graduated  at  Princeton  College, 
he  prepared  for  the  bar,  but  the  stirring  scenes  of  the  Revolution 
left  him  little  time  for  the  quiet  pursuits  of  life.  In  1780,  he  took 
his  seat  in  the  Continental  Congress.  Such  became  his  popu 
larity  in  his  native  State,  that  the  law  rendering  any  one  ineligible 
after  three-years  service  was  repealed  solely  that  he  might  be  re 
turned  a  fourth  time.  Mild  and  amiable  in  disposition,  he  earnestly 
sought  to  harmonize  the  party  antagonisms  and  rivalries  of  Wash 
ington's  administration.  Many  of  his  public  writings,  notably  the 
"Resolutions  of  1798,"  passed  by  the  Assembly  of  Virginia,  in 
opposition  to  the  "  Alien  and  Sedition  Laws,"  and  the  Report 
in  their  defence,  rank  among  the  greatest  State  papers  of  the 
country. 

Madison  was  small  in  stature,  and  calm  and  grave  in  speech. 
His  eyes  were  blue,  clear,  and  penetrating.  He  was  bald  on  the 
top  of  his  head,  and  he  wore  his  hair  powdered.  His  manner  was 
modest  and  retiring,  and  his  diffidence  for  a  time  materially  inter 
fered  with  his  success  as  an  orator.  He  bore  the  look  of  a  quiet, 
unassuming  student.  His  mind  was,  perhaps,  not  of  the  highest 
order,  but  it  was  symmetrical  and  vigorous.  He  possessed  the 


1809-11.]  MADISON'S  ADMINISTRATION.  369 

genius  of  hard  work.  His  memory  was  wonderful,  and  his  stores 
of  knowledge  were  perfectly  at  his  command.  His  character  was 
spotless,  and  no  calumny  ever  attempted  to  sully  it.  In  conversa 
tion  he  was  pleasing  and  instructive.  Being  fond  of  company,  he 
revived  the  levees  inaugurated  by  Washington.  The  graces  and 
beauty  of  Mrs.  Madison  attracted  the  best  of  the  country  to  her 
presence,  and  are  still  perpetuated  in  delightful  legends  of  early 
society  at  the  capital. 

Madison  formed  his  cabinet  as  follows :  Secretary  of  State, 
Robert  Smith  of  Maryland;  Secretary  of  War,  William  Eustis 
of  Massachusetts ;  and  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  Paul  Hamilton  of 
South  Carolina.  Albert  Gallatin  was  retained  as  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  and  Cassar  A.  Rodney  as  Attorney-General. 

The  difficulties  with  England  continued.  The  United  States 
government  held  that  a  foreigner  could  be  naturalized,  and  thus 
become  an  American  citizen,  enj^jing  all  the  privileges  of  citizen 
ship.  The  British  doctrine,  on  the  other  hand,  was  "  Once  an 
Englishman,  always  an  Englishman."  The  English  naval  officers, 
therefore,  claimed  the  right  of  stopping  American  vessels  on  the 
high  seas,  searching  for  seamen  of  English  birth,  and  pressing 
them  into  the  navy.  British  ships  were  stationed  before  our  har 
bors,  and  every  vessel  coming  or  going  was  searched.  Within 
eight  years,  nine  hundred  American  vessels  were  captured  for 
alleged  violations  of  the  English  commercial  regulations.  At  one 
time  there  were  more  than  six  thousand  names  registered  on  the 
books  of  the  State  Department  of  seamen  who  had  been  forced 
into  the  British  navy.  Through  the  indifference  of  the  officers 
many  native  Americans  were  in  this  way  compelled  to  serve 
against  their  country.  Madison  tried  every  means  to  adjust  the 
differences.  His  pacific  policy  seemed,  in  fact,  so  spiritless,  that 
a  Federalist  in  Congress,  losing  all  patience,  declared  that  "  the 
President  could  not  be  kicked  into  a  fight."  The  English  govern 
ment,  it  is  true,  revoked  the  obnoxious  "  Orders  in  Council,"  but 
positively  refused  to  yield  the  rights  of  search  and  impressment. 

Smarting  under  these  insults,  our  seamen  flung  out  the  motto, 
"Free  trade  and  sailors'  rights"  and  for  it  they  were  ready  to  fight. 
One  day  in  May,  1811,  the  frigate  President  having  hailed  the 
British  sloop-of-war  Little  Belt,  off  the  coast  of  Virginia,  instead 
of  a  polite  salutation  received  a  cannon-shot  in  reply.  The  fire 
was  returned,  and  the  sloop  was  soon  disabled.  A  civil  answer 
was  then  given. 
24 


370 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1809-11. 


The  feeling  against  England  was  greatly  aggravated  by  the 
current  impression  that  British  emissaries  were  busy  in  arousing 
the  Indians  along  the  northwestern  border.  In  the  Shawnee 
tribe,  at  this  time,  were  two  brothers,  who,  considering  their  race 

and  surroundings,  deserve  to  be 
reckoned  with  the  heroes  of  his 
tory.  These  were  Tecumseh, 
sometimes  called  Tecumtha  — 
"  the  wild-cat  springing  on  its 
prey  " —  and  Elskwatawa  —  "  the 
loud  voice."  They  were  born 
of  a  Creek  woman  on  the  banks 
of  the  Mad  River,  near  Spring 
field,  Ohio.  The  former  was  a 
chief  and  a  warrior  with  the 
genius  of  a  statesman.  The  lat 
ter  is  better  known  as  the  "  pro 
phet."  He  was  famous  as  an 
orator,  and  made  the  supersti 
tions  of  his  people  the  fulcrum 
of  his  power,  pretending  that  he 
could  even  ward  off  the  bullets 
of  their  enemies  in  battle.  They 

sought  to  combine  all  the  Western  Indians  in  a  defensive  alliance 
against  the  whites. 

In  1809,  General  Harrison,  governor  of  the  Territory  of 
Indiana,  purchased  a  large  tract  on  the  Wabash.  This  gave 

Indian  outrages  became  frequent, 
of  the  settlers,  General  Harrison 
to  Tippecanoe,  the  prophet's  town, 
with  a  small  body  of  troops.  When  within  a  few  miles  he  was 
met  by  ambassadors  asking  for  a  conference  on  the  following  day. 
Fearing  surprise,  he  ordered  his  men  to  lie  upon  their  arms. 
During  the  night,  the  treacherous  savages  crept  through  the  tall 
grass,  and,  surrounding  the  camp  on  all  sides,  suddenly  sprang 
upon  the  troops  like  wolves.  A  desperate  battle  ensued,  but  the 
Indians  were  beaten  with  great  slaughter,  and  the  town  was  de 
stroyed.  All  the  tribes  in  that  region  forthwith  sued  for  peace. 

In  December,  1811,  occurred  the  burning  of  a  theatre  in  the 
city  of  Richmond,  where  was  collected  an  unusually  large  and 
brilliant  audience.  The  governor  of  the  State  and  several  of 


ELSKWATAWA,   THE   PROPHET. 


great  offence  to  Tecumseh. 
At  the  earnest  solicitation 
marched,  in  November,  1811 


1812.] 


MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


371 


the  most  prominent  citizens,  with  their  families,  perished  in  the 
flames.  It  created  the  most  profound  sensation,  both  Houses  of 
Congress  wearing  mourning  for  a  month. 

Louisiana  was  admitted  to  the  Union  April  8,  1812.  It  was  then 
the  extreme  southwestern  State.  Its  early  history  is  closely  con 
nected  with  that  of  France,  the  name  Louisiana  having  been  given 
in  honor  of  Louis  XIV.  The  first  permanent  settlement  within 
its  present  boundaries  was  at  New  Orleans  in  1718.  About  that 
time  the  colony  was  granted  to  the  great  Mississippi  Company, 


BURNING  OF  THE  RICHMOND  THEATRE.  —  (  Fac-simile  of  an  old  Print.) 

organized  by  John  Law,  at  Paris,  for  the  purpose  of  settling  and 
deriving  profit  from  the  French  possessions  in  North  America. 
This  gigantic  bubble  soon  burst,  but  it  resulted  in  a  rapid  emigra 
tion  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi.  December  20,  1803,  after  the 
purchase  of  Louisiana  from  the  French,  the  American  flag  was 
first  unfurled  at  New  Orleans.  This  vast  territory  was  then 
divided  into  two  territories — Orleans,  including  the  present  State 
of  Louisiana,  and  the  district  of  Louisiana,  which  comprised  the 
remainder.  On  the  admission  of  the  former  as  a  State,  the  name 
of  the  latter  was  changed  to  Missouri. 

Early  in  1812,  an  Englishman  named  Henry  made  an  exposure 


3/2  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1812. 

to  the  President  of  an  attempt  in  which  he  had  been  engaged  at 
the  instigation  of  the  Governor-General  of  Canada,  to  excite  hos 
tility  to  the  administration  in  the  Eastern  States,  and  perhaps  pro 
duce  a  rupture  of  the  Union.  He  was  unsuccessful,  and  finding 
his  scheme  repudiated  by  the  English  government,  he  came  on  to 
Washington,  where  he  sold  out  his  story  and  letters  for  the  com 
fortable  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  then  made  off  as  quickly 
as  possible.  The  President  sent  a  message  to  Congress  on  the 
subject,  and  the  so-called  "  Henry  affair"  did  much  to  exasperate 
the  authorities  against  England. 

The  Vice-President,  the  venerable  George  Clinton,  died  April 
20,  1812.  His  place  was  filled  by  William  H.  Crawford  of  Georgia, 
the  presiding  officer  of  the  Senate  pro  tern. 

The  Democratic  party  being  largely  in  favor  of  a  war  with 
England,  Madison  was  assured  that  unless  his  opposition  ceased 
he  must  not  expect  its  support  in  the  ensuing  presidential  cam 
paign.  He  accordingly  waived  his  objections,  and  was  renomi- 
nated  by  a  caucus  of  eighty-two  Republican  members  of  Con 
gress  ;  Elbridge  Gerry  of  Massachusetts  being  placed  on  the 
ticket  for  Vice-President.  The  Federalists  held  a  convention  in 
New  York,  the  first  of  the  kind  in  the  Republic.  Eleven  States 
were  represented.  It  resolved  to  support  De  Witt  Clinton  and 
Jared  Ingersoll  of  Pennsylvania,  as  President  and  Vice-President 
respectively.  At  the  election,  though  the  Federalist  candidates 
were  sustained  by  many  anti-war  Democrats,  Madison  and  Gerry 
were  chosen  by  a  strong  majority. 

Meanwhile  war  had  been  declared  against  England,  June  iQth. 
The  act  met  with  violent  opposition  from  the  few  Federalists  in 
Congress  and  the  disaffected  Democrats.  Henry  Clay,  Speaker 
of  the  House,  and  John  C.  Calhoun  were  at  the  head  of  the  "  War 
Party."  The  Federalists  and  those  opposing  hostilities,  were  led 
by  the  venerable  Josiah  Quincy  of  Massachusetts,  called  by  his 
opponents  in  derision,  "  Josiah  the  First,  King  of  New  England, 
Nova  Scotia,  and  Passamaquoddy "  ;  Emott  of  New  York,  and 
others.  They  were  styled  the  "  Peace  Party."  The  war  measure 
was  adopted  in  the  House  by  a  vote  of  seventy-nine  to  forty-nine, 
and  in  the  Senate,  nineteen  to  thirteen. 

The  first  hostile  shot  was  thrown  only  four  days  later  by  the 
ship-of-war  President,  in  command  of  Commodore  Rogers,  who 
fired  a  chase-gun  after  the  British  ship  Belvidera.  A  running  en 
gagement  ensued,  but  the  President  finally  gave  up  the  pursuit. 


1812.]  MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  373 

Never  was  a  country  more  poorly  prepared  for  war  than  the 
United  States  at  this  period.  The  President  and  his  cabinet, 
by  habit  and  inclination,  were  unfitted  for  a  time  of  commotion 
and  of  great  emergency.  The  dominant  party  had  long  been 
strenuously  opposed  to  a  standing  army  and  navy,  and  both 
these  branches  were,  therefore,  weak  and  inefficient.  Our  army 
numbered  but  five  thousand  men,  and  our  navy  comprised  only 
eight  frigates  and  twelve  sloops,  while  England  had  one  thousand 
and  sixty  sail.  The  Revolutionary  officers  were  either  dead  or 
had  become  so  old  and  feeble  as  to  be  often  an  injury  to  the  service 
which  they  loved  so  well.  The  West  was  all  aflame  for  the  war  ; 
but  at  the  East  a  powerful  party  bitterly  opposed  it  as  impolitic 
and  unnecessary.  Boston  denounced  the  struggle,  and  the  flags  of 
her  shipping  were  hoisted  at  half-mast  when  the  news  came  of  the 
declaration.  All  New  England  resounded  with  outcries  against 
the  war-policy  and  the  war-party.  The  feuds  of  Democrats  and 
Federalists,  the  lack  of  harmony  in  plans,  the  want  of  experience 
in  military  affairs,  and  the  weakness  of  the  executive — all  conspired 
to  render  the  result  of  the  contest  exceedingly  doubtful.  Nothing 
finally  saved  the  country,  under  the  blessing  of  Providence,  but 
the  courage  of  its  soldiery  and  the  valor  of  its  little  navy. 

The  war  opened  on  land  with  an  invasion  of  Canada  at  three 
points — Detroit,  Niagara,  and  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  General 
Henry  Dearborn  of  Massachusetts  was  appointed  commander-in- 
chief,  his  position  being  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  line.  The  troops 
at  the  west  were  under  General  William  Hull,  and  those  in  the 
centre  under  General  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer.  All  the  forces 
were  to  co-operate  with  a  view  to  Montreal  as  their  objective 
point. 

General  William  Hull,  the  Governor  of  Michigan  Territory, 
promptly  crossed  from  Detroit  to  Sandwich  with  a  few  hundred 
regulars  and  three  regiments  of  volunteers.  Instead  of  pushing 
forward  to  attack  Maiden  or  seize  Canada,  Hull  dawdled  about, 
week  after  week,  until  the  British  rallying,  captured  Mackinaw, 
when,  alarmed  by  the  intelligence,  he  tamely  retreated  to  Detroit. 

On  the  1 6th  of  August,  a  beautiful  Sabbath  day,  Brock,  gov 
ernor  of  Upper  Canada,  at  the  head  of  the  British  forces,  landed 
and  advanced  to  assault  that  post.  The  garrison  was  in  line,  and 
the  gunners  stood  with  lighted  matches  awaiting  the  order  to 
fire.  Suddenly,  General  Hull,  apparently  unnerved,  directed  the 
white  flag — a  table-cloth — to  be  displayed.  The  officers  were 


374 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1812. 


thunderstruck,  and  even  the  women  expressed  their  indignation. 
Hull  was,  however,  averse  to  shedding  blood,  and  so,  without 
even  stipulating  for  the  honors  of  war,  he  surrendered  not  only 
Detroit,  with  its  garrisons  and  stores,  but  the  whole  of  Michigan. 
Among  the  arms  was  a  brass  cannon,  on  which  was  the  inscrip 
tion,  "  Taken  at  Saratoga,  on  the  i;th  of  October,  1777."  Some 


NORTHERN 
REGION  OF  THE  WARS 


of  the  British  officers  greeted  this  released  captive  with  kisses. 
It  was,  however,  retaken  on  the  banks  of  the  Thames  the  follow 
ing  year. 

In  1814,  General  Hull,  having  been  exchanged,  was  tried  by 
court-martial,  and  being  convicted  of  cowardice  and  neglect  of 
duty,  was  sentenced  to  be  shot.  He  was,  however,  reprieved  by 
the  President  in  consequence  of  his  Revolutionary  services,  his 
name  being  stricken  from  the  army-roll. 

The  attentive  reader  of  the  full  history  of  this  disgraceful  affair 
knows  not  which  to  blame  most,  the  irresolution  of  General  Hull, 
the  inefficiency  of  the  War  Department,  or  the  incapacity  of  the 
officers  of  the  eastern  forces,  who  utterly  failed  to  co-operate  in 


1812.]  MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  375 

this  invasion,  and  left  the  English  free  to  concentrate  all  their 
troops  upon  the  western  army. 

Bands  of  savages  now  roamed  over  all  the  northwest  territory. 
The  day  before  the  surrender  of  Hull,  Fort  Dearborn,  on  the 
present  site  of  Chicago,  was  surrendered,  and  part  of  the  garri 
son  massacred.  The  whole  country  was  alarmed.  Ten  thousand 
volunteers  were  readily  obtained  and  placed  under  the  command 
of  General  Harrison,  the  hero  of  Tippecanoe. 

Late  in  the  summer,  General  Van  Rensselaer,  with  the  "  army 
of  the  Centre,"  as  it  was  called,  made  an  attempt  to  invade  Canada. 
October  I3th,  he  crossed  the  Niagara  at  Lewiston  to  attack  the 
enemy  on  Queenstown  Heights.  The  landing  was  desperately 
resisted.  Colonel  Scott  and  Captain  Wool  led  the  Americans  in 
charge  after  charge,  driving  the  British  before  them.  Three 
times  they  won  the  victory.  Van  Rensselaer  then  returned  to 
the  American  shore  to  bring  over  the  rest  of  his  troops.  But  the 
militia,  frightened  by  the  bloody  tokens  of  the  battle,  refused  to 
be  taken  out  of  the  State,  and  fifteen  hundred  able-bodied  men 
stood  cowardly  by  their  constitutional  rights,  while  their  com 
rades  vainly  struggled  against  the  odds  of  their  swarming  foes. 

Scott,  finding  himself  deserted,  mounted  a  log  in  front  of  his 
men  and  harangued  them.  "  Hull's  surrender,"  he  exclaimed, 
"  must  be  redeemed.  Our  condition  is  desperate.  Let  us  die, 
arms  in  hand.  Our  country  demands  the  sacrifice.  The  example 
will  not  be  lost.  The  blood  of  the  slain  will  make  heroes  of  the 
living.  Those  who  follow  will  avenge  our  fall,  and  our  country's 
wrongs.  Who  dares  to  stand  ?  "  A  loud  "  ALL  !  "  rang  along  the 
line.  The  troops  followed  him  with  desperate  courage,  and  of 
one  thousand  men  who  had  crossed  the  river  that  morning,  nearly 
all  were  killed  or  captured. 

The  next  day  General  Brock,  who  was  killed  in  the  action, 
was  buried.  At  the  request  of  Scott,  then  a  prisoner,  minute- 
guns  were  fired  at  Fort  Niagara.  "Cannon  that  but  the  day 
before  had  exploded  in  angry  strife  on  one  another,  now  joined 
their  peaceful  echoes  over  his  grave." 

"  While  a  captive  in  an  inn  at  Niagara,"  says  Headley,  "  Scott 
was  told  that  some  one  wished  to  see  the  *  tall  American.'  He 
immediately  passed  through  into  the  entry,  when,  to  his  astonish 
ment,  he  saw  standing  before  him  two  savage  Indian  chiefs,  who 
wished  to  look  on  the  man  at  whom  they  had  so  often  fired  with  a 
deliberate  aim.  In  broken  English,  and  by  gestures,  they  in- 


3/6 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1812. 


quired  where  he  was  hit,  for  they  believed  it  impossible  that  out 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  shots  not  one  had  taken  effect.  The  elder 
chief,  named  Jacobs,  a  tall,  powerful  savage,  became  furious  at 
Scott's  asserting  that  not  a  ball  had  touched  him,  and,  seizing  his 
shoulders  rudely,  turned  him  round  to  examine  his  back.  The 
young  and  fiery  colonel  did  not  like  to  have  such  freedom  taken 
with  his  person  by  a  savage,  and,  hurling  him  fiercely  aside, 
exclaimed,  *  Off,  villain  !  you  fired  like  a  squaw.'  '  We  kill  you 

now,'  was  the  quick  and 

^jlgS^^  "XJ<H '  '  i'i'Wiiif-  startling  reply,  as  knives 

and  tomahawks  gleamed 
in  their  hands.  Scott 
was  not  a  man  to  beg 
or  run,  though  either 
would  have  been  prefer 
able  to  taking  his  chances 
against  these  armed  sav 
ages.  Luckily  for  him, 
the  swords  of  the  Amer 
ican  officers  who  had 
been  taken  prisoners 
were  stacked  under  the 
staircase,  beside  which 
he  was  standing.  Quick 
as  thought,  he  snatched 
up  the  largest,  a  long 
sabre,  and  the  next  mo 
ment  it  glittered  un 
sheathed  above  his  head. 

One  leap  backward,  to  get  scope  for  play,  and  he  stood  towering 
even  above  the  gigantic  chieftain,  who  glared  in  savage  hate  upon 
him.  The  Indians  were  in  the  wider  part  of  the  hall,  between  the 
foot  of  the  stairs  and  the  door,  while  Scott  stood  farther  in,  where 
it  was  narrower.  The  former,  therefore,  could  not  get  in  the  rear, 
and  were  compelled  to  face  their  enemy.  They  manoeuvred  to 
close,  but  at  every  turn  that  sabre  flashed  in  their  eyes.  The 
moment  they  should  come  to  blows,  one,  they  knew,  was  sure  to 
die;  and  although  it  was  equally  certain  that  Scott  would  fall 
under  the  knife  of  the  survivor  before  he  could  regain  his  position, 
yet  neither  Indian  seemed  anxious  to  be  the  sacrifice.  While 
they  thus  stood  watching  each  other,  a  British  officer  chanced  to 


SCOTT  AND  THE  TWO   INDIANS. 


1812.]  MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  377 

enter,  and,  on  beholding  the  terrific  tableau,  cried  out,  *  The 
guard ! '  and  at  the  same  instant  seized  the  tallest  chieftain  by  the 
arm,  and  presented  a  cocked  pistol  to  his  head.  The  next  moment 
the  blade  of  Scott  quivered  over  the  head  of  the  other  savage,  to 
protect  his  deliverer.  In  a  few  seconds  the  guard  entered  with 
leveled  bayonets,  and  the  two  chieftains  were  secured.  One  of 
them  was  the  son  of  Brandt,  of  Revolutionary  notoriety." 

General  Van  Rensselaer  now  resigning,  General  Smyth  was 
placed  in  charge.  He  issued  some  grandiloquent  proclamations, 
made  several  fruitless  attempts  to  get  into  Canada,  was  mobbed 
by  the  militia,  and  posted  as  a  coward ;  he  fought  a  duel  with  one 
of  his  generals,  and  finally  resigned. 

General  Dearborn  determined  to  redeem  the  reputation  of  the 
army,  and,  November  2oth,  made  a  foray  into  Canada  which 
turned  out  the  most  disgraceful  of  all.  The  troops  fired  into  each 
other,  and  ran  away  leaving  their  dead  on  the  field ;  the  generals 
never  appeared  when  wanted  ;  then,  after  these  exhausting  labors, 
the  army  of  the  North  went  into  winter  quarters. 

The  gloomy  look  of  affairs  was,  however,  brightened  by  the 
successes  of  our  gallant  little  navy.  On  the  I3th  of  August,  the 
Essex,  a  thirty-two  gun  ship,  commanded  by  Captain  David 
Porter,  met  the  British  sloop-of-war  Alert.  After  a  brief  engage 
ment  of  eight  minutes,  the  latter  struck  her  colors. 

Three  days  after  the  surrender  of  Detroit,  the  Constitution,  a 
forty-four  gun  ship,  in  command  of  Captain  Isaac  Hull,  a  nephew 
of  General  Hull,  engaged  the  Guerriere,  a  thirty-eight  gun  ship, 
under  Captain  Dacres.  The  English  vessel  finally  surrendered, 
but  was  so  badly  injured  that  she  was  set  on  fire  and  abandoned. 
The  charm  of  British  invincibility  on  the  sea  was  now  broken. 
The  dismay  in  England  was  only  paralleled  by  the  joy  in  Amer 
ica.  It  had  been  currently  predicted  in  Great  Britain  that  before 
the  war  had  lasted  six  months,  British  sloops  would  lie  along 
American  frigates  with  impunity.  That  idea  was  no  longer 
broached. 

The  Constitution,  or  "  Old  Ironsides,"  as  she  was  affectionately 
called  by  the  seamen,  was  in  active  service  during  the  entire  war. 
Cooper  says  that  in  two  years  and  nine  months  she  was  in  three 
actions,  was  twice  critically  chased,  and  that  she  captured  five 
vessels-of-war,  two  of  which  were  frigates,  and  a  third  was  frigate- 
built.  In  all  her  service,  as  well  before  Tripoli  as  in  this  war,  her 
good  fortune  was  remarkable.  She  was  never  dismasted,  never 


378 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1812. 


OLD    IRONSIDES. 


got  ashore,  and  scarcely  ever  suffered  any  of  the  usual  accidents 
of  the  sea.  Though  so  often  in  battle,  no  very  serious  slaughter 
took  place  on  board  her.  One  of  her  commanders  was  wounded, 

and  four  of  her  lieutenants 
were  killed,  two  on  her  own 
decks,  and  two  on  the  ene 
my's  ;  but,  on  the  whole, 
her  entire  career,  was  that 
of  what  is  called  in  the 
navy  a  "  lucky  ship."  Her 
good  fortune  may  perhaps 
be  explained  by  the  simple 
fact  that  she  was  always 
well  commanded ;  more 
over,  in  her  last  two  cruises, 
she  probably  possessed  as 
fine  a  crew  as  ever  manned 

a  frigate.  They  were  principally  New  England  men,  and  it  was 
said  of  them,  that  they  were  almost  qualified  to  fight  the  ship 
without  her  officers. 

October  I3th,  Captain  Jacob  Jones,  commanding  the  Amer 
ican  schooner  Wasp,  fell  in  with  the  Frolic,  convoying  a  squadron 
of  British  merchantmen.  A  severe  engagement  ensued.  When 
the  Americans  boarded  the  enemy,  they  found  the  decks  covered 
with  the  dead  and  wounded,  while  every  man  who  was  able  had 
gone  below,  except  an  old  seaman  at  the  wheel.  Not  twenty  per 
sons  remained  unhurt.  Lieutenant  Biddle  of  the  Wasp  hauled 
down  the  Frolic's  colors.  A  few  hours  after,  however,  the  Poic- 
tiers,  a  British  seventy-four  gun  ship,  appeared  and  seized  both 
the  Wasp  and  her  prize. 

Twelve  days  later,  Captain  Decatur,  in  the  frigate  United 
States,  of  forty-four  guns,  added  to  his  laurels  the  capture  of  the 
Macedonian,  carrying  forty-nine  guns. 

Another  exploit  of  "  Old  Ironsides  "  closed  the  year.  There 
being  more  officers  than  vessels,  Captain  Hull,  in  order  to  afford 
others  an  opportunity  to  share  in  the  glory,  magnanimously  gave 
up  the  command  of  the  Constitution  to  Commodore  Bainbridge. 
Toward  the  close  of  December,  off  the  coast  of  Brazil,  he  fell  in 
with  the  British  frigate  Java,  of  thirty-eight  guns.  During  the 
action  of  three  hours,  the  superior  gunnery  of  the  Americans  told 
fearfully.  The  Java,  one  of  the  best  vessels  in  the  British  service, 


1813.] 


MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


379 


was  reduced  to  a  complete  wreck ;  not  a  spar  was  left  standing  ; 
one  hundred  and  twenty -four  of  her  crew  were  killed  or 
wounded,  among  them  her  commander.  When  surrendered,  the 
vessel  was  too  shattered  to  be  taken  to  port.  The  Constitution 
was  slightly  injured,  and  only  thirty -four  of  her  crew  were  killed 
or  wounded. 

Besides  these  exploits  of  war  vessels,  privateersmen,  fitted  out 
under  letters  of  marque,  had  done  great  damage  to  British  com 
merce,  having  captured,  during  the  first  seven  months  of  the  war, 
three  hundred  merchantmen  and  three  thousand  prisoners. 


CAPTURE   OF   THE   FROLIC. 


Military  operations  on  land  during  1813  were  scarcely  less 
disastrous  than  they  were  the  preceding  year.  Three  armies 
were  raised  as  before :  that  of  the  Centre,  under  General  Dear 
born,  on  the  Niagara  River ;  that  of  the  North,  under  General 
Hampton,  along  Lake  Champlain  ;  and  that  of  the  West,  under 
General  Harrison.  All  three  were  ultimately  to  invade  Canada. 
Proctor  was  the  British  general,  and  Tecumseh  had  command  of 
the  Indian  allies. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  an  expedition  against  York  (now  To 
ronto)  sailed  from  Sackett's  Harbor.  A  landing  was  effected 
after  a  brisk  skirmish,  and  the  town  gallantly  assaulted.  General 


380 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1813. 


Dearborn,  being  ill,  had  given  the  command  to  General  Zebulon 
M.  Pike,  a  brave  and  spirited  young  officer.  After  the  cannon 
ading  of  the  enemy  had  been  silenced,  he  was  sitting  upon  a 
stump,  expecting  every  moment  to  see  a  white  flag  displayed, 
when  there  was  a  sudden  tremor  of  the  ground,  followed  by  a 
tremendous  explosion.  The  enemy  had  blown  up  their  powder 
magazine  and  fled.  Forty  of  the  English  and  one  hundred  Amer 
icans  were  killed.  General  Pike  was  mortally  wounded,  but 
lived  long  enough  to  hear  the  victorious  shouts  of  his  men  and  to 
have  the  flag  of  the  enemy  placed  under  his  dying  head. 

Sackett's  Harbor  having  been  left  in  a  defenceless  situation, 
Sir  George  Prevost,  Governor  of  Canada,  led  an  expedition 
against  it  May  28th.  General  Jacob  Brown,  in  command  at  the 


SACKETT'S  HARBOR  IN  1814. 

Harbor,  although  he  had  but  a  day's  notice,  collected  the  militia, 
and  was  ready  to  give  the  assailants  a  warm  reception.  His 
artillery  comprised  only  a  thirty-two-pounder,  called  the  "  Old 
Sow."  His  troops  were  raw,  and  at  first  retreated,  but  he  rallied 
them  in  person,  and  finally  drove  the  English  back  to  their  boats. 
General  Dearborn  having  resigned  during  the  summer,  General 
James  Wilkinson  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  army  of  the 
Centre.  It  was  planned  that  the  army  of  the  North,  under  Hamp 
ton,  should  advance  from  Plattsburg  and  join  him  in  making  an 
attack  on  Montreal.  Wilkinson  with  his  men  descended  the  St. 
Lawrence  in  a  flotilla,  and  repulsed  the  enemy  at  Chrysler's  Field, 
November  nth;  but  Hampton  would  not  move  his  forces,  and 
so  the  badly-managed  expedition  failed.  Fort  George,  which  was 
taken  by  Dearborn  soon  after  the  capture  of  York,  was  now  evacu- 


1813.]  MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  381 

ated,  but  not  until  Newark  was  laid  in  ashes.     The  British  after 
ward  retaliated  by  burning  Buffalo,  Black  Rock,  and  Lewiston. 

General  Harrison,  with  the  army  of  the  West,  was  encamped  at 
Franklinton,  Ohio,  a  detachment  under  General  Winchester  being 
stationed  at  Fort  Defiance,  on  the  Maumee.  Early  in  January, 
the  latter  went  to  the  defence  of  the  people  of  Frenchtown,  on  the 
river  Raisin.  He  defeated  the  enemy,  but  was  soon  attacked  by 
a  body  of  fifteen  hundred  British  and  Indians  under  Proctor. 
During  the  battle,  the  Indians,  in  order  to  get  the  reward  offered 
by  the  British  commander,  scalped  the  wounded  and  the  dead 
alike.  Winchester,  being  captured,  agreed  to  the  surrender  of 
his  men  under  the  solemn  promise  that  their  lives  and  property 
should  be  safe.  Proctor,  however,  immediately  returned  to 
Maiden  with  the  British,  leaving  no  guard  over  the  American 
wounded.  Thereupon  the  Indians,  maddened  by  liquor  and  the 
desire  of  revenge,  with  faces  painted  black  in  token  of  their  fiend 
ish  purposes,  rushed  into  the  village,  mercilessly  tomahawked 
many,  set  fire  to  the  houses  where  others  lay,  and  carried  the  sur 
vivors  to  Detroit,  where  they  were  dragged  through  the  streets 
and  offered  for  sale  at  the  doors  of  the  inhabitants.  Many  of  the 
women  of  that  place  gave  for  their  ransom  every  article  of  value 
which  they  possessed.  Among  the  prisoners  was  Captain  Hart, 
a  brother  of  Mrs.  Henry  Clay,  who  offered  a  friendly  chief  a  hun 
dred  dollars  if  he  would  conduct  him  in  safety  to  Maiden.  He 
was  accordingly  placed  on  a  horse,  but  had  just  started  when  a 
Wyandot  claimed  him  as  his  prisoner.  A  quarrel  ensued,  which 
was  settled  by  killing  the  captain  and  dividing  his  money  and 
clothes  between  them !  Many  of  the  troops  were  Kentuckians, 
and  the  massacre  aroused  the  feelings  of  their  comrades  and  friends 
almost  to  frenzy.  Their  rallying  cry  henceforth,  "  Remember  the 
River  Raisin!"  incited  them  to  deeds  of  valor,  and  carried  fear 
into  the  hearts  and  ranks  of  the  enemy. 

General  Harrison  now  erected  Fort  Meigs  at  the  Maumee 
Rapids  for  the  better  protection  of  the  northwest.  Here  he  was 
besieged  (May  1-5)  by  Proctor  with  a  large  force  of  regulars,  and 
Indians  under  Tecumseh.  Fortunately,  General  Clay,  with  twelve 
hundred  Kentuckians,  came  to  his  rescue,  and,  after  a  severe  con 
test,  raised  the  siege.  The  Indians  treated  their  prisoners  with 
their  usual  brutality.  One  day  while  two  of  the  savages  were  in 
the  act  of  murdering  a  helpless  captive,  Tecumseh  darted  into  the 
midst,  dashed  the  Indians  to  the  ground,  and  rescued  the  unfor- 


382 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1813. 


tunate  man.  He  even  dared  to  rebuke  Proctor  for  his  inhumanity, 
who  replied  that  he  could  not  restrain  the  Indians.  "  Go  put  on 
petticoats,"  answered  the  chief.  "  You  are  not  fit  to  command 
men." 

Proctor,  having  returned  to  Maiden,  made  great  preparations 
for  a  new  invasion  of  Michigan.  Harrison,  apprised  of  his  design, 
strengthened  Fort  Stephenson,  at  Lower  Sandusky,  for  an  attack. 
It  was,  however,  only  a  stockade  mounting  a  single  six-pounder, 
with  a  small  garrison  under  Major  Croghan,  a  young  man  of  but 
twenty-one.  August  ist,  he  was  attacked  by  Proctor's  troops, 
sustained  by  gunboats  in  the  rear.  The  British  commander  de 
manded  instant  surrender  at  the  peril  of  a  massacre.  Croghan 

replied  that  when  the  fort  was  taken 
a  massacre  would  do  no  harm,  as 
there  would  be  no  one  to  kill.  Re 
pulsed  in  a  desperate  assault,  Proc 
tor  was  forced  to  give  up  the  siege. 
The  exploits  of  our  infant  navy 
during  this  year  added  fresh  lustre 
to  that  branch  of  the  public  service. 
On  the  24th  of  February,  Captain 
Lawrence,  in  command  of  the  Hor 
net,  fell  in  with  the  British  brig 
Peacock,  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Demerara  River.  Within  fifteen 
minutes,  the  Peacock  struck  her 
colors.  She  was  already  sinking, 
and,  ere  her  crew  could  be  rescued,  the  sea  yawned  and  she 
sank  out  of  sight,  carrying  with  her  three  American  and  nine 
British  sailors,  victors  and  vanquished,  to  a  common  grave.  Cap 
tain  Lawrence  next  took  command  of  the  Chesapeake,  which 
on  the  ist  of  June  was  lying  in  the  harbor  of  Boston.  Cap 
tain  Broke,  of  the  flag-ship  Shannon,  challenged  him  to  come 
out  and  fight.  Lawrence  chivalrously  accepted,  although  his 
ship  had  just  returned  from  an  unsuccessful  cruise,  and  was 
looked  upon  as  an  "  unlucky  "  vessel ;  while  part  of  his  crew  was 
discharged,  and  the  rest,  being  unpaid,  was  half  mutinous. 
Lawrence  was  mortally  wounded  early  in  the  conflict.  When 
carried  below,  he  uttered  those  memorable  words  that  will  never 
be  heard  without  stirring  the  pulse,  "  Don't  give  up  the  ship."  But 
it  was  ordered  otherwise.  The  English  were  already  leaping  on 


CAPTAIN    LAWRENCE. 


1813.]  MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  383 

the  deck,  and  soon  the  cross  of  St.  George  was  flying  over  the 
shattered  prize.  The  Chesapeake  was  taken  to  Halifax.  Law 
rence  died  en  route,  and  was  there  buried  by  his  generous  foe  with 
the  honors  of  war.  His  remains  were  subsequently  brought  to 
New  York  and  interred  in  Trinity  church-yard,  where  a  monu 
ment  now  stands  to  his  memory. 

The  schooner  Adeline,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Arthur 
Sinclair,  off  Lynn  Haven  Bay,  sunk  the  British  vessel  Lottery 
early  in  the  spring.  In  June,  the  United  States  brig  Argus, 
under  Captain  Allen,  having  taken  Mr.  Crawford,  our  minister,  to 
France,  sailed  on  a  cruise  in  British  waters.  She  had  captured 
twenty  merchantmen  when,  on  the  I3th  of  August,  she  was  over 
taken  by  the  English  brig  Pelican,  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour, 
her  captain  being  mortally  wounded  and  her  first  lieutenant  dis 
abled,  she  was  compelled  to  strike  her  colors.  The  next  month, 
the  British  brig  Boxer,  off  Portland,  Maine,  was  captured  by  the 
American  vessel  Enterprise.  Both  captains  being  slain,  they 
were  taken  ashore  and  buried  with  equal  military  honors. 

The  cruise  of  Captain  David  Porter,  in  command  of  the  Essex, 
was  full  of  interest.  He  sailed  from  the  Delaware  on  the  28th  of 
October,  1812,  and,  having  rounded  Cape  Horn,  captured  twelve 
ships  and  several  hundred  sailors,  many  of  whom  enlisted  in  his 
service.  Several  of  the  vessels  he  armed  as  tenders,  forming  a 
little  fleet  with  which  he  protected  our  whaling  interests  in  the 
Pacific.  The  Essex  was  finally  attacked,  however,  on  the  28th 
of  March,  1814,  against  all  the  laws  of  nations,  in  the  neutral  har 
bor  of  Valparaiso,  by  a  British  frigate,  the  Phoebe,  and  the  sloop- 
of-war  Cherub.  Being  captured  after  one  of  the  most  desper 
ately-fought  battles  of  the  war,  Porter  wrote  back  to  the  Depart 
ment,  "  We  are  unfortunate,  but  not  disgraced." 

In  this  cruise  David  Glascoe  Farragut,  though  only  twelve 
years  of  age,  sailed  as  a  midshipman.  Captain  Porter,  in  his  re 
port  of  the  first  engagement,  commended  the  "  lad  Farragut," 
and  regretted  that  he  was  too  young  for  promotion. 

The  British  were  at  this  time  masters  of  Lake  Erie.  To  Oliver 
H.  Perry,  a  young  man  of  twenty-eight,  was  assigned  the  com 
mand  of  the  American  fleet  on  the  lake.  His  ships  were  many  of 
them  yet  to  be  built  from  trees  still  standing  in  the  forest.  By 
indomitable  exertions,  he  got  nine  vessels  carrying  fifty-four  guns 
ready  for  action.  He  had  to  wait  some  time  even  then  for  sailors 
enough  to  man  his  little  fleet.  In  August,  he  was  reinforced  by 


AMERICAN   NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1813. 


a  company  of  marines  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  many  of  them 
being  sent  to  him  overland  in  four-horse  stage-coaches,  via  Albany 
and  Buffalo.  Perry  now  cruised  about  hoping  to  fall  in  with  the 
British  squadron  under  Barclay. 

On  the  loth  of  September,  the  English  fleet,  consisting  of  six 
vessels  bearing  sixty-three  guns,  hove  in  sight.  Perry  ran  to  the 
masthead  of  his  vessel,  itself  named  the  Lawrence,  a  banner 
on  which  were  inscribed  the  words  of  that  lamented  hero,  "Dont 
give  up  the  ship."  Soon  a  bugle-note  sounded  from  the  Detroit, 
the  British  flag-ship,  and  the  first  gun  was  fired.  The  vessels  ap 
proached  closer  to  each  other,  and  the  action  soon  became  general. 
The  Lawrence  seemed  to  be  singled  out  to  bear  the  brunt  of  the 

English  guns,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  she  was  terribly 
shattered,  and  her  men  nearly 
all  killed  or  wounded.  Perry 
with  his  flag  then  sprang  into  a 
small  boat,  and  standing  erect, 
the  target  for  a  score  of  guns, 
was  rowed  to  the  Niagara. 
This  gallant  feat  history,  art, 
and  song  will  never  weary  of 
celebrating.  Taking  command 
of  that  vessel,  he  dashed  upon 
the  British  line,  and  broke  it, 
pouring  such  a  storm  of  shot 
right  and  left,  that  within  eight  minutes  the  Detroit  struck  her 
colors,  followed  by  all  her  consorts  but  two,  which  were  taken 
soon  after.  With  a  touch  of  pardonable  pride  Perry  went  back  to 
the  Lawrence,  and  on  her  battle-stained  deck  received  the  sur 
render.  Here  he  wrote  on  the  back  of  an  old  letter,  resting  it 
upon  his  navy  cap,  that  memorable  despatch  to  General  Harrison: 

"  We  have  met  the  enemy,  and  they  are  ours ;  two  ships,  two 
brigs,  one  schooner,  and  one  sloop. 

"  Yours  with  great  respect  and  esteem, 

"O.  H.  PERRY." 

The  victory  filled  the  Americans  with  joy,  and  the  British  with 
mortification.  On  both  sides  of  the  ocean  it  was  made  the  subject 
of  caricature  at  the  expense  of  the  British.  It  was  the  first  time 


PERRY'S  HEADQUARTERS. 


1813.] 


MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


385 


in  the  naval  history  of  Great  Britain  that  an  entire  squadron  had 
surrendered.  The  memory  of  the  event  was  kept  fresh  in  the 
hearts  of  our  countrymen  for  many  years  after  by  annual  celebra 
tions.  Even  to  this  day,  a  song,  rude  in  versification  but  stirring 
in  verse,  commencing, 

"  The  tenth  of  September 

Let  us  all  remember, 
As  long  as  the  world  on  its  axis  goes  round, 

Our  tars  and  marines 

On  Lake  Erie  were  seen, 
To  make  the  proud  flag  of  Great  Britain  come  down," 

if  sung  or  repeated  in  the  pres 
ence  of  any  one  living  at  that 
time,  will  revive  the  enthusiasm 


PERRY    LEAVING    THE    LAWRENCE. 


that  can  never  be  forgotten.  On  Barclay's  ship  were  found  three 
Indians  skulking  below.  It  seems  these  sharpshooters  had  been 
placed  in  the  round-tops  to  pick  off  the  American  officers.  Be 
fore  they  had  a  chance  to  display  their  skill,  however,  cannon-balls 
came  whistling  through  the  rigging,  and  the  would-be  heroes  of 
the  rifles  descended  to  the  deck.  As  the  vessels  neared,  this  post 
25 


386 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1813. 


also  became  too  warm ;  and  leaving  the  American  officers  to  take 
care  of  themselves,  they  went  down  into  the  hold  and  remained 
there  until  brought  out  by  their  captors.  "  A  pet  bear,  more 
courageous  than  the  savages,  was  found  enjoying  itself  on  deck, 
lapping  up  the  blood  of  the  fallen." 


-One  c//saslerafter  another—  J/iave 
-  $hai/e  n  of  half  recovered  oftheBlocdu-nose 
J  get  at  >r&x  the  BoxinglTlatch! 


3ueen  Charlotte  and  Johnny  ftullgot  their  dose  of  fferru, 


A   CARICATURE    OF   THE   TIME. 


After  the  battle,  the  Lawrence  was  towed  over  to  Misery  Bay, 
her  birth-place,  remaining  there,  a  monument  of  the  celebrated 
victory,  until  1815,  when  she  sunk  at  her  anchors.  After  she  had 
lain  for  about  fifty  years,  an  attempt  was  made  to  raise  her, 
which  failed;  but  in  1875,  a  company  of  gentlemen  purchased  the 
vessel,  and,  on  the  I4th  of  September  of  that  year,  succeeded  in 
bringing  the  old  ship  to  the  surface,  amidst  the  plaudits  of  the 
crowd  who  had  repaired  to  the  spot  to  greet  the  heroic  craft 
which  had  once  so  nobly  carried  our  flag.  She  was  transported 
to  Philadelphia,  where  she  will  be  exhibited  at  the  Exposition. 

This  victory  virtually  put  an  end  to  the  war.  It  led  to  the 
speedy  destruction  of  the  Indian  Confederacy ;  relieved  the  whole 
region  of  the  most  gloomy  forebodings  of  evil ;  enabled  Harrison 
to  repossess  the  lost  territory  ;  wiped  out  the  disgrace  of  Hull's 
misfortune,  and  led  the  way  to  the  invasion  of  Canada. 

Washington  Irving,  in  a  sketch  of  Perry  written  soon  after, 
said  :  "  The  last  roar  of  cannon  that  died  along  the  shores  of  Erie 
was  the  expiring  note  of  British  domination.  Those  vast  internal 


1813.] 


MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


387 


OLIVER    HAZARD    PERRY. 


seas  will,  perhaps,  never  again  be  the  separating  space  between 
contending  nations  ;  and  this  victory,  which  decided  their  fate, 
will  stand  unrivaled  and  alone,  deriving  lustre  and  perpetuity 
from  its  singleness.  In  fut 
ure  times,  when  the  shores 
of  Erie  shall  hum  with  a  busy 
population  ;  when  towns  and 
cities  shall  brighten  where 
now  extend  the  dark  and 
tangled  forests ;  when  ports 
shall  spread  their  arms,  and 
lofty  barks  shall  ride  where 
now  the  canoe  is  fastened  to 
the  stake  ;  when  the  present 
age  shall  have  grown  into 
venerable  antiquity,  and  the 
mists  of  fable  begin  to  gather 
round  its  history,  then  will 
the  inhabitants  look  back  to 
this  battle  we  record,  as  one 
of  the  romantic  achievements 
of  the  days  of  yore.  It  will  stand  first  on  the  page  of  their  local 
legends,  and  in  the  marvelous  tales  of  the  border." 

General  Harrison  did  not  long  wait  to  gather  up  the  fruits  of 
the  victory.  Early  in  October,  he  started,  with  a  large  force  of 
Kentuckians  under  Governor  Shelby,  in  pursuit  of  Proctor,  who 
was  rapidly  fleeing  along  Lake  St.  Clair,  with  the  hope  of 
joining  the  British  on  Burlington  Heights,  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Ontario.  Tecumseh  denounced  the  British  commander  as  a 
"  squaw  "  for  thus  running  away,  and  threatened  to  desert  him. 
Proctor  at  last  took  a  stand  in  a  strong  position  on  the  River 
Thames.  Harrison,  perceiving  that  he  had  weakened  his  line  by 
extending  it  too  far,  ordered  Colonel  Johnson  to  break  it  by  a 
charge  of  his  cavalry.  The  Kentucky  horsemen  dashed  forward, 
and  in  less  than  five  minutes  after  the  first  shot  was  fired  had 
routed  the  enemy.  Proctor  escaped  in  his  carriage,  and  within 
twenty-four  hours  was  sixty  miles  away.  The  Indians,  hidden  in 
a  swamp,  continued  the  struggle.  Tecumseh  long  animated  his 
warriors  with  his  own  desperate  valor.  At  last,  struck  by  a  ball, 
he  calmly  stepped  forward,  and,  sinking  at  the  foot  of  an  oak, 
died.  His  followers,  appalled  at  their  loss,  fled  in  dismay. 


388 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1813-14. 


FT. STROTHER 


^ 


_J 

S      vr     Molrile 

*X*-fi"2^ 


*\ 
t 


If  we  can  believe  a  vulgar  couplet,  which  is  now  and  then  at 
this  date  heard  on  the  street  or  in  the  school-yard,  running, 

"  Rumpsey,  Dumpsey,  hickory  Crumpsey, 
Colonel  Johnson  killed  Tecumseh," 

the  honor  of  his  death  belongs  to  that  brave  Kentuckian. 

During  the  summer  of  1813,  the  Indians  of  Georgia  and  Ala 
bama,  incited  by  the  British  and  Spanish  authorities,  and  also 
by  Tecumseh's  project  of  a  great  Indian  Con 
federacy,  took  up  arms.  Troops  under  the 
command  of  Andrew  Jackson  were  sent 
against  them.  On  the  3Oth  of  August,  the 
savages  had  surprised  Fort  Mimms,  forty 
miles  north  of  Mobile,  and  massacred  nearly 
three  hundred  persons.  Volunteers  now 
flocked  in  from  all  the  adjoining  States  to 
avenge  this  horrid  deed.  General 
Floyd,  with  the  Georgia  militia, 
defeated  the  Indians  at  Callabee 
and  Autossee,  the  Creek  metrop 
olis,  where  the  very  ground  was 
sacred.  General  Coffee  routed 
them  at  Tallushatchee,  and  Jack 
son,  a  few  days  after,  at  Talladega.  Claiborne,  with  the  Missis 
sippi  troops,  captured  Eccanachaca,  "  Holy  Ground,"  which 
they  considered  an  impregnable  stronghold.  The  next  spring  the 
Creeks  made  their  last  rally  at  "  Tohopeka,"  or  the  "  Horseshoe 
Bend,"  on  the  Tallapoosa  River.  Six  hundred  of  the  Indians 
were  killed,  and  the  remainder  were  glad  to  sue  for  peace. 

The  speech  of  their  chief  prophet  and  warrior,  Weatherford, 
on  his  surrender,  deserves  to  be  perpetuated  with  the  utterances 
of  other  distinguished  men  of  this  unfortunate  people.  "  I  am," 
said  he,  "  in  your  power.  Do  with  me  as  you  please.  I  am  a 
soldier.  I  have  done  the  white  people  all  the  harm  I  could.  I 
have  fought  them,  and  fought  them  bravely.  If  I  had  an  army,  I 
would  yet  fight  and  contend  to  the  last.  But  I  have  none.  My 
people  are  all  gone.  I  can  now  do  no  more  than  weep  over  the 
misfortunes  of  my  nation.  Once  I  could  animate  my  warriors  to, 
battle  ;  but  I  cannot  animate  the  dead.  My  warriors  can  no 
longer  hear  my  voice.  Their  bones  are  at  Talladega,  Tallus 
hatchee,  and  Tohopeka.  I  have  not  surrendered  myself  thought- 


SOUTHERN 

REGION  OF  THE  WAR 

1812-1814 


1813J 


MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


389 


lessly.  Whilst  there  were  chances  for  success,  I  never  left  my 
post,  nor  supplicated  peace.  But  my  people  are  gone ;  and  1 
now  ask  it  for  my  nation  and  for  myself." 

Several  incidents  of  this  brief  campaign  strikingly  illustrate 
Jackson's  character.  On  the  field  at  Talladega,  he  was  touched 
by  the  cry  of  an  Indian  babe,  whose  mother  had  died  in  the  battle. 
He  tried  to  induce  some  mother  among  the  prisoners  to  take  care 
of  it.  "  Its  mother  is  dead,"  was  the  cold  answer ;  "  let  the  child 
die  too."  The  general,  himself  a  childless  man,  then  turned 
nurse.  Some  brown  sugar  formed  a  part  of  his  private  stores, 
and  with  this  he 
caused  the  child 
to  be  fed.  The  in 
fant  throve  on  this 
simple  fare,  and 
he  finally  took  it 
home  with  him, 
and  reared  it  up  in 
his  own  family. 

During  the  win 
ter  the  troops  un 
der  his  command 
suffered  much 
from  hunger.  One 
day  a  starving  sol 
dier  asked  the  — 
general  for  some 
thing  to  eat.  "  I  will  divide  with  you,"  was  the  reply,  as  he  drew 
out  of  his  pocket  a  handful  of  acorns.  At  last  the  soldiers 
could  endure  their  privations  no  longer,  and  they  mutinied. 
Jackson  rode  down  the  ranks.  His  left  arm,  shattered  by  a  ball, 
was  disabled,  but  in  his  right  he  held  a  musket.  Sternly  ordering 
the  men  back  to  their  place,  he  declared  he  would  shoot  the  first 
who  advanced.  No  one  stirred,  and  at  last  all  returned  to  duty. 

Early  in  the  spring,  the  British  commenced  devastating  the 
southern  coast.  Admiral  Cockburn,  especially,  disgraced  the 
British  navy  by  conduct  worse  than  that  of  Cornwallis  in  the 
Revolution.  Along  the  shores  of  Virginia  and  Carolina,  he 
burned  bridges,  farm-houses,  and  villages ;  robbed  the  inhabitants 
of  their  crops,  stock,  and  slaves;  plundered  churches  of  their 
communion  services,  and  murdered  the  sick  in  their  beds. 


WEATHERFORD    IN   JACKSON'S   TENT. 


390 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1813. 


Neither  age  nor  sex  was  spared  by  these  pirates  in  British  uni 
form.  Frenchtown,  Georgetown,  Havre  de  Grace,  and  Freder- 
ickstown  were  wantonly  destroyed. 

The  New  England  coast,  though  closely  blockaded,  was  spared 
any  attack,  from  a  general  belief  that  it  would  yet  return  to  its 
allegiance  to  Great  Britain.  The  bitter  opposition  there  felt  to 
the  war  was  signally  exhibited,  when  the  Hornet  beat  the  Pea 
cock,  in  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted  by  the 
Senate  of  Massachusetts,  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Quincy,  June  15, 
1813  :  "Resolved,  as  the  sense  of  the  Senate  of  Massachusetts,  that, 
in  a  war  like  the  present,  waged  without  a  justifiable  cause,  and 


THF,  ATTACK  ON  osvvEGO. — From  an  aid  Print. 


prosecuted  in  a  manner  that  indicates  that  conquest  and  ambition 
are  its  real  motives,  it  is  not  becoming  a  moral  and  religious 
people  to  express  any  approbation  of  military  or  naval  exploits 
which  are  not  immediately  connected  with  the  defence  of  our  sea- 
coast  and  soil."  Another  curious  incident  occurred  in  this  con 
nection.  Decatur  lay,  with  three  vessels,  in  the  harbor  of  New 
London,  anxious  to  escape  through  the  blockading  squadron. 
Whenever  he  made  an  attempt,  however,  no  matter  with  how 
great  secrecy,  just  at  that  time  blue  lights  were  sure  to  be  seen 
burning  on  the  bank  of  the  River  Thames.  Decatur  believed 
them  to  be  warning  signals  to  the  enemy,  and  dared  not  put  out 
to  sea.  The  Federal  party  had  to  bear  the  odium  of  this  traitor- 


1814.]  MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  391 

ous  act,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  afterward  its  members 
were  stigmatized  with  the  epithet  of  "  Blue-Light  Federalists." 

During  the  year  1814,  the  war  was  prosecuted  with  renewed 
vigor  on  both  sides.  The  peace  of  Paris  had  released  the  British 
fleets  and  armies  so  long  employed  against  Napoleon,  and  left  the 
English  at  liberty  to  direct  their  entire  strength  against  the  United 
States.  Fourteen  thousand  veterans  who  had  fought  under  Wel 
lington  were  sent  to  Canada. 

The  summer  campaign  opened  with  the  capture  by  the  British 
of  the  fort  at  Oswego,  although  it  was  stubbornly  and  bravely  de 
fended  by  its  commander,  Colonel  Mitchell.  May  5th,  the  town 
was  bombarded,  and  a  fruitless  attempt  made  to  land.  The  next 
day  the  effort  was  renewed  successfully.  Mitchell  thereupon 
abandoned  the  fort,  which  mounted  only  five  guns,  and  after  an 
noying  the  English  as  much  as  he  could,  he  retreated  to  Oswego 
Falls.  Having  dismantled  the  works  and  burned  the  barracks, 
the  enemy  retired. 

July  3d,  our  army,  under  Generals  Brown,  Ripley,  and  Scott, 
crossed  Niagara  River,  and  captured  Fort  Erie,  opposite  Buffalo. 
Two  days  after,  they  defeated  the  British  under  General  Riall  at 
Chippewa,  the  English  loss  being  nearly  double  the  American. 
Just  before  the  final  charge,  General  Scott  addressed  his  men  as 
follows :  "  The  enemy  say  that  the  Americans  are  good  at  a  long 
shot,  but  can  not  stand  the  cold  iron.  I  call  upon  you  instantly 
to  give  the  lie  to  the  slander.  Charge  !  " 

On  the  25th,  another  engagement  took  place  near  Lundy's 
Lane,  a  highway  running  from  the  Niagara  River  to  the  head  of 
Lake  Ontario,  and  opposite  Niagara  Falls.  Our  force  was  less 
than  three  thousand,  while  the  British  numbered  nearly  five  thou 
sand.  General  Scott,  being  in  the  advance,  began  the  attack  about 
four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  stubbornly  held  his  ground  till 
reinforcements  arrived.  Major  Jessup  turned  the  enemy's  flank, 
and  amid  the  gathering  darkness  picked  up  so  many  prisoners, 
among  them  General  Riall,  as  to  impede  his  progress.  Brown, 
seeing  that  a  battery  stationed  on  the  hill  near  by  was  the  key  to 
the  British  position,  turned  to  Colonel  James  Miller  and  said,  "  Sir, 
can  you  take  that  battery  ?  "  "I  will  try"  he  replied.  "  Close  up, 
steady,  men,"  was  his  only  command  to  the  gallant  twenty-first, 
as  it  moved  forward  up  the  hill,  and  captured  the  guns,  amid 
cheers  that  were  heard  above  the  roar  of  the  mighty  cataract. 
Night  had  already  come,  yet  the  British  made  three  desperate 


392 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1814. 


assaults  to  recover  the  position.  The  men  whom  Wellington  had 
so  often  led  to  victory  were  fairly  driven  back  each  time,  and 
at  last  could  not  be  rallied  for  another  struggle.  The  Americans, 
however,  gained  no  substantial  benefits  from  this  success.  Scott 
and  Brown  being  wounded,  General  Ripley  retreated  to  Fort 
Erie.  General  Gaines  now  took  command.  He  was  assaulted 
by  the  British  August  i5th,  Colonel  Drummond  leading  the  at- 


COLONEL   MILLEK   AT   LUNDY  S    LANE. 


tacking  corps  with  the  cry  "  Give  the  Yankees  no  quarter !  "  The 
colonel  was  shot,  and  his  men  fled.  A  fierce  sortie  by  the  garrison, 
September  i/th,  finally  broke  up  the  siege,  and  the  British  retired 
behind  their  entrenchments  at  Chippewa.  The  American  army, 
having  destroyed  Fort  Erie,  went  into  winter-quarters  at  Buffalo, 
thus  closing  this  brilliant  campaign. 

We  turn  now  to  the  army  of  the  East.  The  British  had 
here  attempted  to  revive  the  plan  of  Burgoyne's  famous  cam 
paign.  The  army  of  invasion  consisted  of  fourteen  thousand  men 
under  Sir  George  Prevost  and  a  fleet  of  four  armed  vessels  and 
thirteen  gunboats  under  Commodore  Downie.  General  Macomb 
and  Commodore  McDonough  were  in  command  of  our  land  and 
naval  forces  at  Plattsburg.  The  Americans  retired  across  the 
Saranac  on  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  On  Sunday  morning, 
September  nth,  they  were  attacked  by  land  and  water. 


1814.] 


MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


393 


-!  r-L  i " 


In  the  solemn  hush  before  the  battle,  McDonough  piped 
hands  on  deck  and  read  to  them 
the  Episcopal  service.  The  im- 
pressiveness  of  the  occasion  added 
a  strength  and  beauty  to  the  noble 
liturgy.  A  man  who  dared,  in  the 
navy  of  that  day,  to  perform  such 
an  act,  was  surely  worthy  to  lead. 

The  struggle  raged  for  two 
hours,  when  McDonough  adopted 
the  difficult  expedient  of  wearing 
his  vessel  around,  so  as  to  present  a 
fresh  broadside  to  the  enemy.  The 
English  tried  the  same  manoeuvre, 
but  failed.  The  battle  was  then 
soon  decided.  The  British  com 
modore  was  killed,  his  guns  were 
silenced,  and  his  larger  vessels  cap 
tured.  Scarce  a  spar  was  standing 
in  either  fleet,  and  the  ships  were 
ready  to  sink.  Meanwhile  the 
English  land  forces  had  suffered 
defeat,  and  about  dark  they  re 
treated.  Thus  ended  the  invasion, 
not  less  successfully  for  us,  but  less 
disastrously  for  the  English  than 
did  its  Revolutionary  compeer. 

The  operations  of  Admiral 
Cockburn,  with  his  worthy  asso 
ciate,  General  Ross,  were  con 
tinued  this  year  along  the  coast. 
In  August,  General  Ross  ascended 
the  Potomac  to  Washington.  An 
attempt  was  made  to  stop  him  at 
Bladensburg,  but  our  troops,  under 
General  Winder,  fled  disgracefully. 
The  day  was  hot,  and  the  British 
were  in  no  condition  to  pursue. 
The  Americans  lost  during  the  re 
treat  only  one  man — an  officer — 
who,  it  is  said,  ran  till  he  died. 


all 


394 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED. 


[1814, 


The  "  Bladensburg  Races "  as  the  battle  was  satirically  styled, 
left  the  way  open  to  the  capital. 

The  President  was  on  the  field,  and  sent  his  servant  to  warn 
Mrs.  Madison  of  her  danger.  She  resolved  to  save  the  full-length 
portrait  of  Washington  which  now  adorns  the  blue-room  of  the 
White  House.  It  was  cut  out  of  its  frame  and  borne  away  by 
the  gentlemen.  So  precipitate  was  her  flight,  that  a  dinner-table 
was  left  spread  for  forty  guests.  Unexpected  ones  occupied  it. 
They  were  hungry  Britons. 

The  principal  British  officers  entered  the  House  of  Repre 
sentatives,  and  Cockburn  took  the  chair.  "  Gentlemen,"  he  cried, 


BRITISH    SOLDIERS    BURNING    BOOKS   IN    THE    LIBRARY    OF   CONGRESS. 

"  the  question  is,  Shall  this  harbor  of  Yankee  democracy  be 
burned?  All  in  favor  of  burning  it  will  say,  Aye!"  The  re 
sponse  was  in  the  affirmative,  and  there  was  no  negative.  "  Light 
up,"  said  he,  and  the  work  of  destruction  was  commenced.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  hours,  nothing  remained  of  the  splendid  Cap 
itol  and  the  presidential  mansion  but  their  smoke-blackened  walls. 
Two  million  dollars  worth  of  property  is  said  to  have  been  de 
stroyed  during  this  incursion,  disgraceful  alike  to  America  and 
England. 

The  British  now  sailed  around  by  sea  to  attack  Baltimore. 
The  fleet  bombarded  Fort  McHenry,  while  the  land  forces  were 
to  move  upon  the  city.  In  both  of  these  attempts  the  enemy  was 
unsuccessful.  During  the  bombardment,  Francis  S.  Key,  who 


1814.]  MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  395 

had  gone  to  the  British  fleet  with  a  flag  of  truce  to  procure  the 
release  of  a  friend,  and  who  was  not  permitted  to  return  lest  he 
might  carry  back  valuable  information,  watched  the  flag  of  his 
country  waving  above  Fort  McHenry.  The  British  commander 
had  boasted  to  Key  that  the  place  could  hold  out  only  a  few  hours, 
and  then  Baltimore  must  inevitably  fall  into  his  hands.  The  next 
morning  the  flag  was  still  waving  defiantly  and  triumphantly  in 
the  face  of  the  foe.  The  incident  inspired  Key  to  write  the  words 
of  a  song  which  will  be  sung  as  long  as  the  flag  is  known : 

"  Oh,  say,  can  you  see,  by  the  dawn's  early  light, 

What  so  proudly  we  hailed  at  the  twilight's  last  gleaming, 
Whose  broad  stripes  and  bright  stars,  through  the  perilous  fight, 

O'er  the  ramparts  we  watched  were  so  gallantly  streaming? 
And  the  rocket's  red  glare,  the  bombs  bursting  in  air, 
Gave  proof  through  the  night  that  our  flag  was  still  there  ; 
Oh,  say,  does  that  star-spangled  banner  yet  wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave?" 

The  harbor  of  Stonington,  Conn.,  was  in  like  manner  bom 
barded  by  the  enemy,  but,  the  militia  assembling,  no  landing  was 
effected  by  the  British  troops.  During  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
year,  also,  that  part  of  Maine  which  lies  east  of  the  Penobscot 
River  was  occupied  by  the  English.  The  United  States  frigate 
Adams,  and  many  merchant  vessels  lying  in  the  Penobscot  were 
destroyed  or  fell  into  their  hands. 

A  convention  held  at  Hartford,  December  i5th,  excited  great 
attention.  It  was  composed  of  delegates  from  the  New  England 
States.  Its  deliberations  were  secret,  and  were  supposed  to  be 
disloyal,  so  that  nearly  every  member  was  henceforth  excluded 
from  all  political  position  in  the  nation.  Indeed,  it  became  one 
of  the  chief  causes  of  the  ruin  of  the  Federal  party.  A  report 
was  current  at  the  time  that  there  would  be  an  attempt  to  take 
New  England  out  of  the  Union  and  establish  a  kingdom.  It  is 
now  known,  however,  that  the  convention  only  considered  cer 
tain  alleged  usurpations  by  the  general  government,  several 
amendments  to  the  Constitution,  and  the  defence  of  the  eastern 
coast  against  the  attacks  of  the  British  navy,  then  becoming  so 
threatening.  The  convention  adjourned,  having  recommended 
the  call  of  a  second  the  ensuing  year.  What  would  have  been  the 
result  of  these  deliberations  cannot  be  known,  as  peace  put  a 
practical  stop  to  all  anti-war  measures  and  removed  their  worst 
grievances. 


396  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1814. 

November  I3th,  Elbridge  Gerry,  the  Vice-President,  expired 
suddenly  in  his  carriage  while  proceeding  to  the  Capitol.  He 
died  honorably  poor  and  was  universally  mourned.  John  Gail- 
lard  of  South  Carolina  was  appointed  President  of  the  Senate. 

The  treaty  of  peace  was  signed  by  the  commissioners  at  Ghent 
on  the  24th  of  December,  1814.  It  did  not  settle  the  great  ques 
tion  of  the  war,  viz.,  the  impressing  of  seamen,  but  there  was  a 
tacit  understanding,  and  it  was  never  revived.  The  news  did 
not  reach  this  country  until  the  following  February.  Meanwhile 
had  occurred  one  of  the  most  brilliant  victories  ever  achieved  by 
the  American  arms. 

During  the  year  1814,  General  Andrew  Jackson,  after  subdu 
ing  the  Creek  Indians,  was  engaged  in  Florida  settling  affairs 
with  the  Spanish  authorities,  who  had  been  suspected  of  co 
operating  with  the  British  in  urging  the  Indians  to  war  and 
furnishing  them  with  arms  and  ammunition.  He  captured  Pensa- 
cola  and  drove  from  its  harbor  a  British  fleet.  Learning  that  the 
English  would  next  attack  New  Orleans,  he  proceeded  to  that 
city  and  made  the  most  vigorous  preparations  for  its  defence. 

December  I4th,  the  expected  British  fleet  entered  Lake 
Borgne  and  captured  the  American  gun-boats  stationed  at  that 
point.  Thence,  passing  through  an  unfrequented  bayou  nearly  to 
the  Mississippi,  the  advance  reached  the  river  only  nine  miles 
from  the  city.  That  night  Jackson  bravely  attacked  the  enemy 
in  their  camp,  but  was  repulsed.  The  next  day  he  fell  back 
behind  his  entrenchments,  which  extended  from  the  river  to  an 
impassable  swamp.  An  assault  on  the  28th  having  failed,  the 
British  brought  up  cannon  and  planted  several  batteries.  Their 
fire,  however,  produced  little  effect.  In  throwing  up  their  works, 
the  British  had  used  hogsheads  of  sugar  instead  of  sand-bags,  but 
the  American  balls  quickly  broke  them  in  pieces.  On  the  other 
hand,  Jackson  at  first  made  his  entrenchments  partly  of  cotton 
bales,  but  a  red-hot  cannon-ball  having  fired  the  cotton  and  scat 
tered  the  burning  fragments  among  the  barrels  of  gunpowder,  it 
was  found  necessary  to  remove  the  cotton  entirely.  The  only 
defence  of  the  Americans  in  the  ensuing  battle  was  a  bank  of 
earth  five  feet  high,  and  a  ditch  filled  with  water. 

January  8th,  General  Pakenham,  the  commander-in-chief  of 
the  British,  advanced  with  his  whole  force,  twelve  thousand  strong. 
Behind  their  breastworks,  three  thousand  Tennessee  and  Ken 
tucky  riflemen,  the  finest  marksmen  in  the  world,  were  awaiting 


1815.] 


MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


397 


his  coming.  When  within  range,  a  vivid  stream  of  fire  flashed 
from  the  whole  American  line.  Every  shot  told.  The  enemy 
was  thrown  into  confusion,  and  the  plain  was  strewn  with  the 
dead  and  dying.  In  the  vain  attempt  to  rally  his  troops,  General 
Pakenham  was  killed,  General  Gibbs,  the  second  in  command, 
was  mortally  and  General  Keene  severely  wounded.  General 
Lambert,  on  whom  the  command  devolved,  being  unable  to  check 
the  flight  of  his  troops,  retired  to  his  encampment,  and  ten  days 


THE    BATTLE   OF   NEW   ORLEANS. 


afterward  the  whole  army  hastily  withdrew  to  their  ships.  The 
British  had  lost  over  two  thousand  men,  and  the  Americans  but 
thirteen. 

During  the  attack  on  Jackson's  lines,  the  British  had  carried 
an  American  battery  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  which  com 
manded  the  American  position  and  gave  them  virtual  control  of 
New  Orleans ;  but  the  defeat  of  the  main  body  had  been  so  signal 
that  they  made  no  effort  to  pursue  their  success. 

A  cable  despatch  would  have  saved  this  fearful  bloodshed. 
"  O  tardy  science  !  "  exclaims  Parton,  in  his  Life  of  Jackson  ;  "  O 
Morse,  O  Cyrus  Field,  why  were  you  not  ready  with  your 
oceanic  telegraph  then,  to  tell  those  men  of  both  armies  that  they 


398  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1815, 

were  not  enemies,  but  friends  and  brothers,  and  send  them  joyful 
into  each  other's  arms,  not  in  madness  against  each  other's  arms  ? 
The  ship  that  bore  this  blessed  news  was  still  in  mid-ocean,  con 
tending  with  its  wintry  winds  and  waves.  How  much  would 
have  gone  differently  in  our  history  if  those  tidings  had  arrived  a 
few  weeks  sooner  !  " 

An  incident  showing  the  stern  justice  and  the  rugged  charac 
ter  of  General  Jackson  occurred  soon  after.  A  member  of  the 
legislature,  on  the  loth  of  February,  caused  it  to  be  stated  in  the 
Louisiana  Gazette  that  peace  had  been  declared.  Jackson  arrested 
him,  charging  that  this  statement  excited  mutiny  among  the  sol 
diers.  A  writ  of  habeas  corpus  having  been  granted  the  prisoner 
by  Judge  Hall,  Jackson,  instead  of  obeying  the  writ,  arrested  the 
judge  and  sent  him  out  of  the  city.  On  being  restored  to  his 
office,  the  judge  ordered  Jackson  to  appear  and  show  cause  why 
he  should  not  be  committed  for  contempt  in  disregarding  the  writ. 
General  Jackson  came  in  citizen's  garb  before  the  court,  and  being 
fined  one  thousand  dollars,  paid  it.  It  was,  however,  subsequently 
refunded  to  him  by  the  government,  with  interest. 

The  last  two  naval  actions  of  the  war  were  in  our  favor. 
These  were  the  capture  in  February,  1815,  by  the  frigate  Consti 
tution,  of  two  British  sloops-of-war,  the  Cyane  and  Levant,  off 
the  island  of  Madeira,  and  in  March,  by  the  Hornet,  of  the  brig 
Penguin  off  the  coast  of  Brazil.  "  Thus  terminated  at  sea,"  says 
Alison,  the  British  historian,  "  this  memorable  contest,  in  which 
the  English,  for  the  first  time  for  a  century  and  a  half,  met  with 
equal  antagonists  on  their  own  element  ;  and  in  recounting  which 
the  British  historian,  at  a  loss  whether  to  admire  most  the 
devoted  heroism  of  his  own  countrymen  or  the  gallant  bearing  of 
their  antagonists,  feels  almost  equally  warmed  in  narrating  either 
side  of  the  strife." 

The  Americans  who  were  captured  during  the  war,  and 
impressed  seamen  who  refused  to  serve  in  the  British  navy,  had 
been  kept  at  Dartmoor,  a  prison  situated  on  a  lonesome  moor  not 
far  from  Portsmouth,  England.  They  were  treated  with  great 
rigor.  Their  sufferings,  especially  during  the  severe  winter  of 
1813-14,  were  bitter.  Headley  says  that  the  stream  running 
through  the  prison-yard  and  the  buckets  of  water  in  the  rooms, 
were  frozen  solid.  Most  of  the  prisoners,  being  protected  only 
by  rags  and  destitute  of  shoes,  could  not  go  out  into  the  yard  at 
all,  as  it  was  covered  with  snow  several  feet  deep,  but  lay 


1815-16.]  MADISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  399 

crouched  in  their  hammocks  day  and  night.  The  strong  were 
bowed  in  gloom  and  despair,  and  the  weak  perished  in  protracted 
agonies.  To  fill  the  measure  of  their  sufferings,  the  commanding 
officer  issued  an  order  compelling  them  to  turn  out  at  nine 
o'clock  in  the  morning  and  remain  in  the  open  air  till  the  guard 
counted  them.  This  took  nearly  an  hour,  during  which  time  the 
poor  fellows  stood  barefoot  in  the  snow,  benumbed  by  the  cold, 
and  pierced  by  the  bleak  wind.  Unable  to  bear  this  dreadful 
exposure,  the  prisoners  cut  up  their  bedding,  to  make  garments 
and  socks  for  themselves,  and  slept  on  the  cold  floor.  Morning 
after  morning,  hardy  men,  benumbed  by  the  cold,  fell  lifeless  in 
the  presence  of  their  keepers.  Peace  came,  but  these  suffering 
men  were  not  released.  Restless  and  uneasy,  collisions  began  to 
occur  with  their  brutal  keepers.  April  4,  1815,  they  received  no 
bread.  The  next  day  they  broke  into  the  depot  of  supplies.  On 
the  6th,  the  guard  fired  upon  them  repeated  volleys,  killing  seven 
and  wounding  sixty  of  these  unarmed  men.  This  "  Dartmoor  mas 
sacre  "  for  a  time  threatened  to  renew  hostilities  between  the  two 
countries,  but  the  matter  was  finally  amicably  settled. 

The  Barbary  States  had  taken  advantage  of  the  war  to  renew 
their  piratical  depredations.  Decatur,  being  sent  thither  with  a 
squadron,  captured  the  largest  vessel  in  the  Algerine  navy,  vis 
ited  Algiers,  Tunis,  and  Tripoli  in  succession,  and  compelled  the 
release  of  our  prisoners ;  exacted  payment  for  the  losses  we  had 
already  sustained,  and  the  relinquishment  of  all  demands  for  trib 
ute  in  future.  Since  then  we  have  had  no  trouble  with  the  Bar 
bary  pirates. 

Peace  found  the  country  in  a  deplorable  condition — trade 
ruined,  commerce  gone,  no  specie,  banks  without  credit,  and  a 
general  depression.  Yet,  such  were  the  resources  of  the  country, 
that  it  almost  immediately  entered  on  a  career  of  unexampled 
prosperity.  Cotton  rose  from  ten  to  over  twenty  cents  per 
pound.  Soon  the  ocean  was  whitened  with  the  sails  of  our  ships. 
Land  rapidly  increased  in  value.  Explorations,  especially  con 
nected  with  the  fur  trade,  were  pushed  at  the  northwest.  Emi 
gration  multiplied.  In  1816,  the  United  States  Bank  was 
rechartered  to  continue  for  twenty  years,  and  an  act  was  passed 
providing  for  paying  the  national  debt,  over  one  hundred  and 
twenty  million  dollars,  by  annual  instalments  of  ten  million 
•dollars. 

The  Federal  party  was  now  almost  entirely  broken  up  by  its 


4OO  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1816-17. 

opposition  to  the  war.  Rufus  King,  its  candidate  for  the  Presi 
dency,  received  only  thirty-four  votes.  The  Republicans  nomi 
nated  James  Monroe,  with  Daniel  D.  Tompkins  as  Vice-President. 
They  were  elected  by  one  hundred  and  eighty-three  votes. 

December  n,  1816,  Indiana  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  form 
ing  the  nineteenth  State.  It  well  merits  the  name  given  it,  as 
within  its  borders  were  fought  many  of  the  most  desperate  and 
decisive  Indian  battles.  As  early  as  1702,  some  French  Cana 
dians  descended  the  Wabash  River,  establishing  several  posts, 
Vincennes  being  among  them.  Little  is  known,  however,  of  the. 
early  history  of  the  country  until  1763,  when  it  was  ceded  to  the 
English.  It  formed  a  part  of  the  great  Northwest  Territory. 
When  Ohio  was  set  off  in  1800,  the  remainder  was  called  Indiana. 
In  1805,  Michigan  was  carved  from  it ;  and  in  1809,  Illinois. 

President  Monroe  was  inaugurated  March  4,  1817.  He  was 
born  in  Westmoreland  county,  Va.,  April  28,  1758.  From  early 
manhood  he  had  mingled  in  the  public  affairs  of  the  country, 
his  life  being  a  portion  of  its  history  from  the  commencement 
of  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  He  had  been  the  friend  and 
adviser  of  Jefferson  and  Madison,  and  possessed  the  entire  confi 
dence  of  the  people.  He  was  tall  and  well-formed,  with  light 
complexion  and  blue  eyes.  He  was  laborious  and  industrious  in 
his  habits,  though  by  no  means  brilliant. 

In  the  selection  of  his  Cabinet,  Monroe  showed  excellent 
judgment,  taking  for  his  advisers  men  of  commanding  ability  and 
the  widest  influence.  They  aided  largely  in  giving  to  his  admin 
istration  a  character  which  rendered  it  "  the  golden  age  "  of  our 
political  history.  The  Secretary  of  State  was  John  Quincy 
Adams,  a  master  of  diplomacy,  who  had  grown  up  in  this  field,, 
having  been  representative  at  the  Hague  when  so  young  that  he 
was  called  "  General  Washington's  Boy  Minister."  The  Secre 
tary  of  the  Treasury  was  William  H.  Crawford  of  Georgia,  a  man 
of  commanding  appearance,  brilliant  talents,  and  sterling  patriot 
ism.  The  Secretary  of  War  was  John  C.  Calhoun,  one  of  Amer 
ica's  greatest  statesmen.  The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  was  Ben 
jamin  W.  Crowinshield  of  Massachusetts  who  was  succeeded  by 
Samuel  L.  Southard  of  New  Jersey,  the  youngest  man  ever  ap 
pointed  to  a  place  in  the  Cabinet,  being  only  twenty-nine  years 
of  age,  but  full  of  promise,  thoroughly  accomplished,  and  the 
pride  of  his  native  State. 

For  his  legal  adviser,  the  President  had  the  distinguished  Wil- 


1817-20.]  MONROE'S    ADMINISTRATION.  4<DI 

liam  Wirt,  who  was  as  clear-minded  and  sound-hearted  in  council 
as  he  was  brilliant  in  the  forum.  Outside  the  cabinet,  the  admin 
istration  possessed  such  supporters  as  Daniel  D.  Tompkins,  Vice- 
President  ;  John  Marshall,  Chief-Justice ;  and  Henry  Clay,  Speaker 
of  the  House. 

Soon  after  his  inauguration,  Monroe,  imitating  the  example  of 
Washington,  made  his  memorable  journey  through  the  Northern 
States  to  examine  the  military  posts,  and  acquire  a  thorough  ac 
quaintance  with  the  capabilities  of  the  country  in  case  of  future 
hostilities.  He  wore  the  uniform  of  a  colonel  of  the  Revolution 
ary  army  —  three-cornered  hat,  scarlet-bordered  blue  coat,  and 
buff  breeches.  He  was  everywhere  received  with  consideration 
and  cordiality,  and  in  many  places  with  enthusiasm  and  great 
civic  and  military  displays.  His  simple  dignity  of  manner,  and 
his  evident  sincerity  of  purpose,  rendered  him  popular  with  all. 
"  Embittered  and  hot-tempered  leaders  of  parties,  who  for  the  last 
seven  years  had  hardly  deigned  to  speak  to  each  other,  or  even  to 
walk  on  the  same  side  of  the  street,  met  now  with  smiling  faces, 
vying  in  extravagance  of  republican  loyalty.  The  '  era  of  good 
feeling '  having  thus  begun,  the  way  was  rapidly  paved  for  that 
complete  amalgamation  of  parties  which  took  place  a  few  years 
after." 

During  the  first  twenty  years  of  the  present  century,  there 
was  hardly  a  branch  of  industry  or  a  valuable  interest  that  did 
not  receive  an  impulse.  The  war  had  led  to  the  establishment  of 
extensive  manufactories  to  supply  the  place  of  the  English  goods 
cut  off  by  the  blockade.  These  continued  to  thrive  after  peace 
was  declared,  though  trade  was  for  a  time  depressed  by  the  quan 
tity  of  foreign  goods  thrown  on  the  market.  The  feeling  of  the 
people  was  well  expressed  by  Henry  Clay  on  the  Senate  floor,  in 
his  memorable  speech,  April  6,  1810,  where  he  first  took  ground 
in  favor  of  protecting  the  interests  of  American  manufactures : 
"  There  is  a  pleasure,  a  pride,"  said  he,  "  (if  I  may  be  allowed  the 
expression,  and  I  pity  those  who  cannot  feel  the  sentiment),  in 
being  clad  in  the  productions  of  our  own  family.  Others  may 
prefer  the  cloths  of  Leeds  or  London,  but  give  me  those  of  Hum- 
phreysville."  While  speaking,  he  was  clothed  in  the  product  of 
an  American  loom. 

Almost  every.  State  saw  the  institution  of  colleges  and  univer 
sities.  Among  these  were  the  University  of  Georgia,  established 
in  1801  ;  Washington  College,  Pennsylvania,  1802  ;  Ohio  Univer- 
26 


4O2 


AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1800-1820. 


sity,  1804;  University  of  South  Carolina,  1806;  Hamilton  College, 
New  York,  1812;  University  of  Virginia,  of  which  Jefferson  was 
proud  to  be  called  the  father,  1819;  and  Madison  University,  New 
York,  and  Colby  University,  Maine,  1820.  In  1821,  a  school  for 

the  education  of  women 
was  established  in  Troy, 
N.Y.,byMrs.EmmaWil- 
lard.  It  was  a  pioneer 
institution,  and  its  re 
markable  success  placed 
its  founder  foremost 
among  the  teachers  of  the 
country  and  the  benefac 
tors  of  her  sex. 

In  the  year  1806,  five 
students  at  Williams  Col 
lege  (Samuel  J.  Mills, 
Jas.  Richards,  Francis  L. 
Robbins,  Harvey  Loomis, 
and  Bryan  Greene),  being 
in  a  grove,  where  they  had 
met  for  meditation  and 
prayer,  were  driven  by 
a  sudden  storm  to  the 
friendly  shelter  of  a  hay 
stack.  Here,  in  their  con 
versation,  came  up  the 
subject  of  the  moral  condition  of  Asia,  in  which  country  they 
were  interested  from  being  engaged  in  the  study  of  its  geography. 
Mills  suggested  the  idea  of'  carrying  the  Gospel  to  the  people  of 
that  vast  region.  His  companions  favoring  the  notion,  they  joined 
in  prayer  and  sung  a  hymn.  Soon  after,  they  formed  in  the  col 
lege  the  first  Foreign  Missionary  Society  ever  organized  in 
America.  Delegates  were  sent  to  other  colleges  to  kindle  the 
same  spirit,  and  in  four  years  after  that  "  Haystack  prayer-meet 
ing,"  the  American  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  was  established. 

The  American  Bible  Society  had  its  origin  in  1816.  On  the 
Sih  of  May,  sixty  gentlemen  met  in  the  Consistory  Room  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church  in  Garden  Street,  New  York,  and  re 
solved  that  "it  is  expedient,  Avithout  delay,  to  establish  a  general 
Bible  Institution  for  the  circulation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  with- 


1800-1820.]  MONROE'S    ADMINISTRATION.  403 

out  note  or  comment."  Many  of  the  most  distinguished  clergy 
men  of  the  day  were  present  at  the  birth  of  the  society,  and  lived 
to  see  it  fulfil  its  important  work. 

Benjamin  Lundy,  in  1815,  founded  an  anti-slavery  association, 
called  the  "  Union  Humane  Society,"  and  afterward  started  a 
newspaper,  "  The  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation."  He  was 
the  originator  of  anti-slavery  periodicals  and  lectures. 

The  first  savings  bank  was  established  in  Philadelphia,  No 
vember  1816.  Others  were  soon  put  in  operation  in  every  city  of 
the  Union.  Besides  the  accumulation  of  savings,  they  taught  the 
people  thrift  and  economy,  and  so  have  been  of  great  service. 

In  1819,  the  Savannah,  a  steamer  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons 
burden,  crossed  the  Atlantic,  making  the  passage  in  thirty-one 
days.  She  was  heavily  sparred,  and  depended  largely  upon  her 
sails,  yet  the  voyage  marked  the  commencement  of  a  new  era  in 
navigation. 

In  1795,  after  the  admission  of  Vermont  and  Kentucky,  the 
number  of  stripes  in  the  American  flag  had  been  increased  to 
fifteen.  This  was  the  form  used  during  the  War  of  1812-14. 
April  4,  1818,  a  bill  was  approved  reducing  the  stripes  to  thirteen, 
and  making  the  number  of  stars  equal  to  that  of  the  States,  a  new 
one  to  be  added  for  every  new  State,  on  the  4th  of  July  succeed 
ing  its  admission.  On  the  I3th  of  April  the  new  flag  was  first 
hoisted  over  the  Hall  of  Representatives  in  Washington. 

The  Seminole  Indians  having  committed  many  depredations, 
General  Jackson  was  sent  against  them  with  a  force  of  two  thou 
sand  five  hundred  men.  He  burned  their  villages,  marched  into 
Florida,  then  held  by  Spain,  and  took  possession  of  Pensacola. 
Two  traders,  Arbuthnot,  a  Scotchman,  and  Ambrister,  a  British 
lieutenant  of  marines,  were  arrested  for  inciting  the  savages  to 
hostility.  They  were  tried  by  court-martial,  and,  being  found 
guilty,  the  former  was  hanged  and  the  latter  was  shot.  Jackson 
also  hanged  two  prominent  Indian  chiefs.  The  Spanish  authori 
ties  complained  of  his  conduct,  and  it  was  made  the  subject  of 
congressional  inquiry,  but  his  course  was  approved  by  large 
majorities  in  both  Houses. 

The  execution  of  these  two  British  subjects  produced  intense 
excitement  in  England.  There  was  great  apprehension  of  a  third 
war  with  the  United  States.  Stocks  fell.  The  Federal  govern 
ment  was  bitterly  denounced.  Jackson  was  declared  to  be  a 
"  tyrant,  ruffian,  and  murderer,"  and  was  thus  placarded  through 


404  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1817-19. 

the  streets  of  London.  The  journals,  without  distinction  of  party, 
swelled  the  general  chorus.  But  in  the  midst  of  this  din  of  pas 
sion,  the  ministry,  perceiving  the  justice  of  Jackson's  course, 
stood  firm.  "At  a  later  day  of  my  mission/'  remarked  Rush, 
then  our  representative  at  the  English  court,  "  Lord  Castlereagh 
said  to  me  that  a  war  might  have  been  produced  on  this  occasion, 
'  if  the  ministry  had  but  held  up  a  finger.'  On  so  slender  a  thread  do 
public  affairs  sometimes  hang  !  " 

In  February,  1819,  a  treaty  was  concluded  with  Spain,  by  which 
she  ceded  Florida  to  the  United  States  on  the  payment  of  five 
million  dollars. 

Four  new  States  were  received  into  the  Union  during  Monroe's 
first  term.  Mississippi  was  admitted  December  10,  1817.  It  is 
named  from  the  Mississippi  River,  the  "  Great  Father  of  Waters." 
The  State  was  first  settled  by  the  French  in  1716,  but  in  1763  was 
ceded  to  Great  Britain,  and  became  a  part  of  Georgia.  It  was 
organized  as  a  Territory  in  1798. 

Illinois,  the  twenty-first  State,  was  admitted  December  3,  1818. 
Its  name  is  derived  from  its  principal  river,  signifying  "  River  of 
men."  After  Ohio  and  Indiana  and  the  Territory  of  Michigan 
had  been  taken  from  the  Northwest  Territory,  the  remainder  was 
styled  the  Illinois  Territory,  and  comprised  the  present  States  of 
Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  a  part  of  Minnesota.  Its  first  permanent 
settlement  was  made  by  the  French  at  Kaskaskia  in  1682.  It  came 
to  the  English  from  the  French  in  1763,  and  to  the  United  States 
in  1787,  with  the  rest  of  the  Northwestern  Territory.  Previous  to 
this  there  had  been  a  fort  on  the  present  site  of  Chicago,  as  ap 
pears  from  a  map  published  in  Quebec,  1683.  The  fort  was  styled 
Checagou,  an  Indian  name  derived  from  Cheecaqua — strong — 
the  title  of  a  line  of  chiefs,  and  also  of  an  onion  which  grows  on  the 
river  banks.  Fort  Dearborn  was  built  by  the  United  States  in 
1804.  Here  occurred,  during  the  war  of  1812-14,  the  Indian  mas 
sacre  already  mentioned.  The  fort  was  then  burned,  but  was  re 
built  in  1816,  and  was  garrisoned  until  the  red  men  moved  beyond 
the  Mississippi.  For  years  after  the  admission  of  the  State,  this 
great  metropolis  was  only  a  trading-station  surrounded  by  the 
wigwams  of  the  savages. 

Alabama,  the  twenty-second  State,  was  received  December 
14,  1819.  Its  name  signifies  "  Here  we  rest."  The  early  history 
of  this  region  is  interwoven  with  that  of  French  discovery.  The 
first  settlement  was  made  in  1702,  when  a  party  of  Frenchmen, 


1820.] 


MONROE'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


405 


under  Bienville,  built  a  fort 
on  Mobile  Bay.  The  pres 
ent  site  of  Mobile  was  oc 
cupied  in  1711,  the  place 
having  been  an  Indian  vil 
lage  called  Mavilla,  and  the 
scene  of  De  Soto's  most  dis 
astrous  defeat.  Having  been 
ceded  to  the  United  States, 
Alabama  was  first  incorpo 
rated  with  Georgia,  and 
afterward  with  the  Missis 
sippi  Territory. 

Maine  was  admitted 
March  15,  1820.  The  Eng 
lish  under  Cabot,  in  1498, 
the  French  under  Verrazani, 
in  1524,  and  the  Spaniards 
under  Gomez,  in  1525,  are 
known  to  have  made  cur 
sory  visits  to  this  region. 
In  1623,  a  permanent  set 
tlement  was  made  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Piscataqua  by 
a  colony  under  Sir  Ferdi 
nand  Gorges  and  Captain 
John  Mason,  which  was  fol 
lowed  by  others  at  Saco, 
Biddeford,  Scarborough, 
Cape  Elizabeth,  and  Port 
land.  Massachusetts  claimed 
this  territory,  and  in  1677, 
to  secure  it,  bought  out  the 
rights  of  the  heirs  of  Gorges 
for  six  thousand  two  hun 
dred  and  fifty  dollars.  Nova 
Scotia  formed  a  portion  of 
the  purchase,  but  this  was 
relinquished,  the  remainder 
being  held  until  separated 
in  1820. 


406  AMERICAN    NATIONALITY    ASSURED.  [1818-20. 

Party  strife  having  lulled,  the  "  era  of  good  feeling  "  was  sig 
nalized  by  the  re-election  of  Monroe  by  the  vote  of  every  State  in 
the  Union.  Daniel  D.  Tompkins  was  also  again  chosen  Vice- 
President.  With  all  this  satisfactory  condition  of  the  present 
and  brilliant  promise  for  the  future,  that  same  year  an  apple  of 
discord  was  cast  into  the  politics  of  the  country,  the  effect  of 
which  was  felt  for  more  than  half  a  century.  In  March,  1818,  a 
petition  was  presented  to  Congress  from  the  Territory  of  Mis 
souri,  asking  authority  to  form  a  constitution  for  a  State.  It  was 
not  acted  upon  at  that  session,  but  in  February,  1819,  Mr.  Tall- 
madge,  a  Republican  of  New  York,  moved  an  amendment  prohib 
iting  the  further  introduction  of  slavery  into  the  new  State.  A 
fierce  debate  of  three  days  followed.  The  spirit  exhibited  is  well 
illustrated  by  the  remarks  of  two  members.  Mr.  Cobb  of  Georgia 
said  :  "  A  fire  has  been  kindled  which  all  the  waters  of  the  ocean 
cannot  put  out,  and  which  only  seas  of  blood  can  extinguish. " 
To  which  Mr.  Tallmadge  replied  :  "  If  civil  war,  which  gentlemen 
so  much  threaten,  must  come,  I  can  only  say  let  it  come !  .  .  . 
If  blood  is  necessary  to  extinguish  any  fire  which  I  have  assisted 
to  kindle,  while  I  regret  the  necessity,  I  shall  not  hesitate  to  con 
tribute  my  own."  The  Senate  struck  out  the  amendment,  and 
the  measure  was  lost. 

The  next  year,  a  bill  having  been  introduced  for  the  admission 
of  Maine,  a  clause  was  adroitly  attached  authorizing  Missouri  to 
form  a  constitution  without  restrictions.  They  were  separated, 
and  on  the  3d  of  March  following  both  passed.  To  the  Missouri 
bill,  however,  had  been  attached  a  section  prohibiting  slavery  in 
all  territories  of  the  United  States  north  of  latitude  36°  30'.  This 
clause,  known  in  our  history  as  the  Missouri  Compromise,  was 
warmly  advocated  by  Henry  Clay.  Often  did  he  rise  during 
those  days  of  strife  as  a  mediator  between  contending  factions, 
"  imploring,  entreating,  beseeching  "  for  peace  and  brotherhood. 
At  one  time,  it  is  said,  he  spoke  four  hours  and  a  half,  pouring 
forth  a  continued  stream  of  impassioned  eloquence. 

The  situation  of  the  country  at  the  end  of  the  first  twenty 
years  of  the  century  was  very  flattering.  Its  population  in  round 
numbers  was  nine  million  six  hundred  thousand.  Previous  to  the 
war,  its  submission  to  the  wrongs  and  insults  of  France  and  Great 
Britain  had  excited  throughout  Europe  a  contempt  for  the  Amer 
ican  character.  The  general  opinion  was  that  the  spirit  of  liberty 
and  independence  shown  in  the  Revolution  had  been  extinguished 


1820.] 


MONROES    ADMINISTRATION. 


407 


by  a  love  of  gain  and  commercial  enterprise,  and  that  there  were 
not  enough  courage  and  resolution  left  to  sustain  the  national 
rights  and  the  national  honor.  But  the  war  with  England  dissi 
pated  this  impression,  and  inspired  profound  respect  for  a  nation 
that  gave  so  many  proofs  of  its  ability  to  cope  with  the  mistress 
of  the  seas  on  her  favorite  element.  The  unanimity  of  parties, 
the  high  character  of  our  statesmen,  and  the  rapid  growth  of  the 
country — all  conspired  to  give  the  people  confidence  at  home  and 
to  win  deference  abroad.  The  position  of  the  United  States 
among  the  peoples  of  the  earth  was  now  assured. 


THE   OLD    BLOCKHOUSE,   CHICAGO. 


CHAPTER     XI. 


(DISSENSIONS.— 1820-40. 

HILE  the  fire  of  party  feeling  had 
apparently  died  out,  through  the 
removal  of  old  sources  of  dis 
agreement,  new  issues  were  fast 
rising  to  kindle  the  embers  to 
a  more  intense  heat  than  ever. 
Slavery,  State  rights,  and  the 
tariff  were  already  looming  up 
along  the  political  horizon  with 
dire  distinctness.  Added  to  this, 
in  spite  of  the  rapid  development 
of  the  country,  its  financial  con 
dition  was  alarming.  Benton's 
statement  of  the  "  gloom  and  agony  "  of  these  years  gives  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  situation.  "  No  money,  either  gold  or  silver,  no 
measure  or  standard  of  value  left  remaining.  The  local  banks  (all 
but  those  of  New  England),  after  a  brief  resumption  of  specie  pay 
ments,  again  sunk  into  a  state  of  suspension.  The  Bank  of  the 
United  States,  created  as  a  remedy  for  all  those  evils,  now  at  the 
head  of  the  evil,  prostrate  and  helpless,  with  no  power  left  but  that 
of  suing  its  debtors,  and  selling  their  property,  and  purchasing 
for  itself  at  its  own  nominal  price.  No  price  for  property  or  pro 
duce.  No  sales  but  those  of  the  sheriff  and  the  marshal.  No 
purchasers  at  execution  sales  but  the  creditor  or  some  hoarder  of 
money.  No  employment  for  industry.  No  demand  for  labor. 
No  sale  for  the  product  of  the  farmer.  No  sound  of  the  hammer 
but  that  of  the  auctioneer  knocking  down  property.  Stop  laws, 
property  laws,  replevin  laws,  stay  laws,  loan-office  laws,  the  inter 
vention  of  the  legislator  between  the  creditor  and  the  debtor ;  this 
was  the  business  of  legislation  in  three-fourths  of  the  States  of  the 


1823.]  MONROE'S    ADMINISTRATION.  409 

Union — of  all  south  and  west  of  New  England.  No  medium  of 
exchange  but  depreciated  paper;  no  change  even  but  little  bits 
of  foul  paper,  marked  so  many  cents,  and  signed  by  some  trades 
man,  barber,  or  innkeeper ;  exchanges  deranged  to  the  extent  of 
fifty  or  one  hundred  per  cent.  DISTRESS,  the  universal  cry  of  the 
people  ;  RELIEF,  the  universal  demand  thundered  at  the  doors  of 
all  legislatures,  State  and  federal." 

On  the  occasion  of  the  recognition  of  the  independence  of 
Mexico  and  five  provinces  in  South  America,  which  had  thrown 
off  the  yoke  of  Spain,  the  President  enunciated  a  principle  since 
famous  as  the  MONROE  DOCTRINE.  In  a  message  to  Congress  in 
1823  upon  this  subject,  he  says:  "  The  American  continents,  by 
the  free  and  independent  position  which  they  have  assumed  and 
maintained,  are  henceforth  not  to  be  considered  as  subjects  for 
future  colonization  by  any  European  power." 

Agitation  had  already  commenced  as  to  Monroe's  successor  in 
the  presidential  chair.  There  were  no  less  than  five  prominent 
candidates,  all  from  the  ranks  of  the  old  Republican  party — John 
Quincy  Adams,  William  H.  Crawford,  John  C.  Calhoun,  Henry 
Clay,  and  Andrew  Jackson.  Adams  had  the  support  of  New 
England  ;  Crawford  and  Calhoun  divided  that  of  the  South,  and 
Clay  and  Jackson  that  of  the  West. 

The  nomination  of  Jackson  by  the  legislature  of  Tennessee 
was  at  first  a  matter  of  jest  and  sport.  It  was  soon  found,  how 
ever,  that  the  hero  of  New  Orleans  was  exceedingly  popular  with 
the  masses.  An  incident  which  occurred  at  Washington  was 
thought  to  have  contributed  to  set  the  ball  in  motion.  "  A  gen 
tleman,"  says  Spencer,  "  who  was  connected  with  the  family  of 
General  Washington,  having  purchased,  at  the  sale  of  his  furni 
ture,  a  pair  of  pistols  which  had  been  presented  to  the  General  by 
Lafayette,  was  disposed  to  give  them  to  General  Jackson,  whose 
character  he  greatly  admired ;  but,  unused  to  public  speaking,  he 
requested  Colonel  C.  Fenton  Mercer  to  act  as  his  representative. 
This  was  accordingly  done  by  a  short  speech  in  the  presence  of  a 
number  of  persons,  to  which  the  general  made  a  most  grateful 
and  felicitous  reply ;  all  of  which  being  published  in  a  Washing 
ton  paper,  was  soon  diffused  by  the  press  to  every  corner  of  the 
Union,  and  it  was  afterward  the  boast  of  the  actors  in  this  little 
drama  that  they  had  mainly  contributed  to  make  Andrew  Jack 
son  President  of  the  United  States." 

Political  circles  were  now  convulsed  by  manceuvres  and  in- 


410  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS. 

trig-ues.  A  nomination  by  congressional  caucus  being  considered 
injurious  to  the  prospects  of  certain  aspirants,  the  system  was, 
denounced.  Crawford  was  the  only  one  of  the  candidates  thus 
endorsed,  and  this  was  considered  by  many  as  the  cause  of  his 
defeat.  The  election  resulted  in  ninety-nine  votes  for  Jackson, 
eighty-four  for  Adams,  forty-one  for  Crawford,  and  thirty-seven 
for  Clay,  thus  referring  the  decision  to  the  House  of  Representa 
tives.  John  C.  Calhoun,  receiving  one  hundred  and  eighty-two 
votes,  was  declared  Vice-President.  Though  Jackson  had  a  popu 
lar  majority,  yet  when  the  choice  came  to  be  made  in  the  House 
of  Representatives,  Adams  was  selected.  It  was  charged  that 
Clay  threw  his  influence  against  Jackson,  partly  on  account  of  a 
personal  animosity,  but  largely  because  he  had  been  promised  by 
Adams,  in  the  event  of  his  election,  the  position  of  Secretary  of 
State.  This  was,  of  course,  denied  by  Clay  and  his  friends ;  but 
partisan  speakers  and  papers  rang  the  changes  upon  it  for  years. 

Pending  the  election,  Lafayette,  the  "  hero  of  two  worlds," 
visited  this  country.  He  found  the  people  for  whom  he  had 
fought  in  his  youth  approaching  the  fiftieth  year  of  their  national 
life.  From  the  moment  of  his  arrival  at  New  York,  August,  1824, 
until  September,  1825,  when  about  to  depart  in  the  frigate  Brandy- 
wine,  named  in  his  honor,  his  journey  was  one  continued  march 
of  triumph  and  joy.  The  people  feted  and  caressed  him,  while 
Congress  voted  him  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  money  and 
a  township  of  land.  He  visited  the  tomb  of  Washington  ;  and,  on 
the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  battle,  laid  the  corner-stone  of  the 
Bunker  Hill  monument. 

Missouri,  the  twenty-fourth  State,  was  admitted  August  10, 
1821.  Its  name' is  derived  from  that  of  its  principal  river,  and 
means  "muddy  water."  In  1755,  St.  Genevieve  was  founded  by 
the  French.  Pierre  Ligueste  Laclede,  having  obtained  from  the 
governor  of  Louisiana  the  right  to  trade  with  the  Indians  on  the 
Missouri,  in  1764  established  a  post  which  he  styled  St.  Louis,  in 
honor  of  Louis  XV.  of  France.  On  Laclede's  death,  Auguste  Chou- 
teau  became  his  successor.  In  1780,  St.  Louis  was  a  depot  of  a 
profitable  fur  trade,  having  a  population  of  about  eight  hundred 
persons.  French  manners  and  customs  prevailed.  The  houses, 
were  generally  built  of  logs,  roughly  hewn  and  set  on  end.  In 
1804,  the  stars  and  stripes  were  raised  over  the  embryo  city.  It 
was  not  incorporated  as  a  town  until  1809.  The  first  brick  house 
was  erected  in  1813. 


1825.] 


MONROE'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


411 


With  the  conclusion  of  Monroe's  administration,  the  Repub 
lic,  as  if  to  mark  the  completion  of  half  a  century  of  its  existence, 
passed  from  under  the  control  of  men  who  had  been  distinctly 
associated  with  the  Revolution,  into  the  hands  of  a  new  generation. 

There  are  some  curious  circumstances  connected  with  the  first 
five  Presidents  of  the  Republic.  In  the  ages  of  John  Adams,  Jef- 


^v-\_  "^ 

y^    ^5 

LAFAYETTE    AT   THE   TOMB    OF    WASHINGTON. 


ferson,  Madison,  and  Monroe,  there  was  a  regular  sequence,  each 
being  eight  years  older  than  his  successor.  Like  Washington 
and  John  Quincy  Adams,  they  were  all  inaugurated  in  their  fifty- 
eighth  year,  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  latter  named,  closed 
their  terms  of  office  in  their  sixty-sixth  year.  Had  John  Quincy 
Adams  been  re-elected,  his  second  term  would  also  have  expired 
at  that  age.  One  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  this  investigation, 
makes  here  the  shrewd  inquiry,  "  Did  he  mark  the  turning-point 
in  our  national  career?"  Of  the  first  five  Presidents,  the  only 
one  who  had  a  son,  lived  to  see  him  elected  to  the  same  high 
office,  an  event  which  has  not  occurred  since,  and  does  not  seem 


412  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1825. 

likely  ever  again  to  happen.  Virginia,  the  "  Mother  of  Presidents," 
furnished  four  of  the  first  five,  and,  singularly  enough,  all — Wash 
ington,  Jefferson,  Madison,  and  Monroe — were  born  within  a  few 
miles  of  one  another. 

John  Quincy  Adams  was  inaugurated  sixth  President  of  the 
United  States,  March  4,  1825.  He  was  dressed,  it  was  noted,  in 
a  plain  black  suit  of  American  cloth. 

Adams  was  born  at  Braintree,  Massachusetts,  July  11,  1767. 
He  gives  the  following  account  of  the  origin  of  his  name  :  "  My 
great-grandfather,  John  Quincy,  was  dying  when  I  was  baptized, 
and  his  daughter,  my  grandmother,  requested  I  might  receive  his 
name.  This  fact  has  connected  with  my  name  a  charm  of  mingled 
sensibility  and  devotion.  It  was  filial  tenderness  that  gave  the 
name.  It  was  that  of  one  passing  from  earth  to  immortality. 
These  have  been  through  life  perpetual  admonitions  to  do  nothing 
unworthy  of  it."  He  had  a  splendid  education,  not  only  such 
as  is  drawn  from  books  and  schools,  but  from  the  companionship 
of  wise  and  distinguished  men.  He  early  entered  upon  a  political 
career,  and  held  in  succession  nearly  every  prominent  office  in  the 
gift  of  his  fellow-citizens.  In  personal  appearance,  he  was  of  mid 
dle  stature  and  full  form  ;  his  eyes  were  dark  and  piercing  ;  his 
countenance  was  pleasing  and  beamed  with  intelligence. 

The  new  cabinet  consisted  of  Henry  Clay,  Secretary  of  State ; 
Richard  Rush  of  Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  James 
Barbour  of  Virginia,  Secretary  of  War;  William  Wirt,  Attorney- 
General  ;  and  Samuel  L.  Southard  of  New  Jersey,  Secretary  of  the 
Navy. 

From  first  to  last,  the  administration  of  Adams  met  with  de 
termined  and  bitter  opposition.  Scarcely  a  suggestion  made  by 
the  President  was  adopted.  The  friends  of  General  Jackson  were 
largely  in  the  majority  in  both  Houses,  and  believing  that  Adams 
had  succeeded  by  means  of  a  bargain,  and  being  also  determined 
to  prevent  his  re-election  and  secure  the  triumph  of  Jackson,  they 
threw  discredit  upon  all  his  measures. 

During  this  year,  troubles  sprang  up  in  Georgia  among  the 
Creek  Indians,  with  whom  a  treaty  had  been  made,  extinguishing 
their  title  to  lands  in  that  State,  and  giving  them  large  tracts  west 
of  the  Mississippi.  It  was  claimed  that  the  chiefs  who  signed  the 
agreement  were  not  properly  authorized.  An  appeal  was  made  to 
Washington,  and  the  President  sent  General  Gaines  to  prevent  an 
outbreak.  Meanwhile  the  governor  of  Georgia,  having  begun  a 


1825.]  JOHN    QUINCY    ADAMS'S    ADMINISTRATION.  413 

survey  of  the  land,  used  high  language  toward  the  administration. 
The  matter  was  finally  allowed  to  rest  till  the  meeting  of  Con 
gress,  when  a  new  treaty  was  negotiated. 

The  United  States  having  been  invited  to  send  commissioners 
to  a  congress,  at  Panama,  of  the  South  American  provinces  which 
had  thrown  off  the  Spanish  yoke,  the  President  accepted.  During 
the  debate  upon  the  question  in  Congress,  the  administration  was 
bitterly  denounced.  John  Randolph  declared,  "  I  am  defeated, 
horse,  foot,  and  dragoons — cut  up  and  clean  broke  down,  by 
the  coalition  of  Blifil  and  Black  George — by  the  combination, 
unheard  of  till  now,  of  the  Puritan  and  the  black-leg."  This  bit 
ter  diatribe  led  to  a  duel  between  Randolph  and  Clay,  in  which 
neither  was  injured,  but  in  which  their  "  honor  was  satisfied." 

The  question  of  internal  improvements  was  vigorously  agi 
tated  at  this  time.  Large  appropriations  were  made  for  a  canal 
route  across  Florida  ;  for  sundry  post-roads  ;  for  repairing  the 
national  road  between  Cumberland,  Maryland,  and  Ohio;  for 
improving  the  navigation  of  the  Ohio  River ;  and  to  the  asylum 
for  the  deaf  and  dumb  in  Kentucky.  The  government  took  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  of  stock  in  the  Dismal  Swamp 
Company ;  surveyed  harbors  on  the  seacoast,  and  deepened 
channels ;  reserved  lands  for  seminaries  of  learning  in  Louisiana, 
in  Florida,  and  in  Arkansas;  and  granted  tracts  in  Illinois  and 
Indiana  to  aid  in  building  canals. 

The  constitutionality  of  such  appropriations,  then  as  now,  was 
earnestly  discussed,  and  the  opposition  was  vigilant  and  belliger 
ent.  A  funny  story  is  told  in  this  connection.  There  was  a  bill 
before  the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  in  regard  to  some  public 
improvements,  which  was  strenuously  opposed  by  the  member 
from  Berks  county,  and  with  so  much  zeal  that  its  passage  was 
endangered.  Nicholas  Biddle,  afterward  President  of  the  United 
States  Bank,  moved  an  amendment,  appropriating  ten  thousand 
dollars  for  the  improvement  of  the  Alimentary  Canal.  The  mem 
ber  from  Berks  rose  instantly,  and,  notwithstanding  the  titters  that 
grew  audible  over  the  House,  declared  his  purpose  to  oppose  any 
appropriation  for  the  Alimentary  Canal  or  any  other  canal,  as 
it  was  unjust,  oppressive,  and  unconstitutional.  The  amendment 
was  immediately  withdrawn  and  the  bill  passed. 

The  most  magnificent  enterprise  that  marked  this  period  was 
the  Erie  Canal,  to  complete  which  took  eight  years  of  time  and 
ten  million  dollars  of  money.  An  Irishman  named  Christopher 


4H  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1825. 

Colles  is  entitled  to  the  credit  of  having  made  the  first  suggestion 
of  this  great  undertaking.  He  came  to  New  York  before  the 
Revolution,  and  in  1785  issued  a  pamphlet  called  ''Proposals  for 
the  Speedy  Settlement  of  the  Western  Frontier  of  New  York." 
It  contained  a  plan  for  the  canal,  but  it  was  considered  utterly 
impracticable.  In  1810,  De  Witt  Clinton  advocated  the  measure 
in  the  senate  of  New  York,  and  it  afterward  found  strong  sup 
porters  in  General  Schuyler,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Martin  Van 
Buren,  and  others.  It  still  met,  however,  with  opposition  and 
ridicule.  An  epigram  of  the  period,  alluding  to  Clinton,  shows 
something  of  the  spirit  existing  : 

"  Oh,  a  ditch  lie  would  dig,  from  the  lakes  to  the  sea, 
The  eighth  of  the  world's  matchless  wonders  to  be. 
Good  land  !  how  absurd  !     But  why  should  you  grin  ? 
It  will  do  to  bury  its  mad  author  in." 

Work  was  not  commenced  upon  it  until  the  4th  of  July,  1817, 
when  Governor  Clinton,  in  the  presence  of  many  thousands  of 
citizens  and  amid  great  demonstrations  of  joy,  threw  the  first 
spadeful  of  earth.  Even  then  the  people  were  incredulous.  It 
was  a  common  remark,  "  If  I  can  live  until  Clinton's  ditch  is  done, 
I  shall  be  content."  The  first  portion  navigated  by  boats  was  the 
line  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  miles  between  Rochester- 
ville — now  Rochester,  then  a  hamlet  of  less  than  three  thousand 
inhabitants — and  Little  Falls ;  the  first  boat  passing  east  on  the 
29th  of  October,  1822. 

On  the  26th  of  October,  1825,  the  whole  canal  was  formally 
opened  by  a  magnificent  celebration.  The  governor,  State 
officers,  and  invited  guests  took  passage  from  Buffalo  for  New 
York  in  a  gorgeously-decorated  boat,  accompanied  by  a  numerous 
fleet.  As  they  started,  the  news  was  telegraphed  in  advance,  by 
means  of  about  fifty  cannon  placed  ten  or  a  dozen  miles  apart. 
An  hour  and  thirty  minutes  from  the  firing  of  the  first  gun,  the 
report  reached  New  York.  Along  the  entire  route,  day  and 
night,  the  people  were  assembled  to  greet  the  excursionists. 
They  arrived  at  Albany  on  the  2d  of  November,  and  thence  all 
the  steamboats  on  the  Hudson  River  escorted  them  to  the 
metropolis.  One  of  the  ceremonies  near  Sandy  Hook  was  the 
emptying  of  a  keg  of  Lake  Erie  water  into  the  Atlantic,  thus  typi 
fying  the  union  of  the  waters  of  the  lake  with  those  of  the  ocean. 

In  the  year  1825,  the  Capitol  at  Washington  was  completed. 


1825-6.]  JOHN    QUINCY    ADAMS'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


415 


The  outer  walls  had  been  uninjured  by  the  fire  of  1814,  and  an 
architect  named  Latrobe  was  appointed  by  Congress  to  superin 
tend  its  reconstruction.  He  remained  in  charge  until  1817,  when 
he  was  succeeded  by  Charles  Bullfinch.  The  foundation  of  the 
central  building  was  laid  March  24,  1818,  the  entire  edifice  being 
finally  finished  according  to  the  original  plan.  Congress  in  the 
meantime  held  its  sessions,  first  in  the  building  used  by  the  Post- 
office  Department ;  afterward  in  a  building  on  the  east  side  of 
Capitol  Park.  The  latter  situation  was  thus  occupied  for  fifteen 
years,  and  became  known  as  the  "  Old  Capitol."  It  acquired  a 
not  very  pleasant  reputation  during  the  civil  war  as  a  govern 
ment  prison. 


MONTICELLO,   THE    HOME   OF   JEFFERSON. 


In  1826,  the  Republic  reached  its  semi-centennial,  and  the 
anniversary  of  its  birthday  was  generally  celebrated.  But  the 
occasion  had  other  observances  than  the  ringing  of  bells,  the 
firing  of  cannon,  or  the  shouts  of  a  joyous  people.  On  that  day 
died  the  two  patriots,  John  Adams  and  Thomas  Jefferson.  A 
short  time  before,  a  gentleman  called  upon  Adams  and  requested 
a  toast  for  a  banquet  on  the  coming  celebration.  "  I  will  give 
you,  Independence  forever,"  said  the  old  man.  "  Will  you  not 
add  something  to  it  ?  "  asked  the  visitor.  "  Not  a  word,"  was 
the  reply.  The  toast  was  presented  at  the  dinner,  and  received 
with  deafening  cheers.  Almost  at  the  same  moment,  the  soul 
of  the  statesman  passed  away.  His  last  words  were,  "  Thomas 
Jefferson  still  survives." 


416  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1827. 

It  was  not  so ;  from  his  beautiful  home  at  Monticello,  he  had 
gone  an  hour  or  two  before.  As  midnight  of  the  3d  ap 
proached,  his  friends  had  stood,  watch  in  hand,  hoping  for  yet  a 
few  moments  of  life,  so  that  his  death  might  be  hallowed  by 
taking  place  on  the  4th.  Their  pious  wish  was  granted.  He 
still  lived  as  the  slow  hours  wore  on  ;  and  it  was  not  till  past 
noon  that  he  peacefully  breathed  his  last. 

The  year  1827  witnessed  the  building  of  the  first  railroad  in 
the  United  States  at  Quincy,  Massachusetts.  It  was  operated  by 
horse-power,  and  was  three  miles  in  length,  from  the  granite 
quarries  to  the  Neponset  River.  In  the  same  year,  another  road, 
nine  miles  long,  was  laid  out  from  the  coal  mines  at  Mauch 
Chunk,  Pennsylvania,  to  the  Lehigh  River.  The  next  year,  the 
Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal  Company  constructed  a  road  from 
their  coal  mines  to  Honesdale,  a  locomotive  being  imported  from 
England.  It  was  the  first  steam-engine  used  in  the  United  States. 


THE   FIRST   RAILROAD   TRAIN    IN   THE    UNITED   STATES. 


It  is  still  in  good  preservation,  and  will  be  exhibited  at  the  Cen 
tennial  Exposition.  Other  railroad  enterprises  rapidly  followed  ; 
notably  those  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  road,  begun  in  1828,  and 
of  the  Albany  and  Schenectady,  in  1830.  The  South  Carolina 
road,  from  Charleston  to  Hamburg,  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  miles,  opened  in  1833,  was  then  the  longest  line  in 
the  world. 

The  administration  was  in  favor  of  what  is  known  as  the 
"  American  System,"  i.  e.,  the  protection  of  home  manufactures 
by  means  of  duties  laid  upon  foreign  goods.  This  was  naturally 
acceptable  to  the  East,  largely  devoted  to  manufacture;  and  ob 
noxious  to  the  South,  equally  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits. 
During  the  year  a  tariff  bill  was  passed  which  was  so  onerous  that  it 
was  called  in  many  quarters  the  "  Bill  of  Abominations."  We  shall 
hear  of  it  again  in  connection  with  the  nullification  acts  of  1832. 

The  political  campaign  of  1828  was  animated  and  bitter  in  the 
extreme.  Although  the  friends  of  Adams  put  forth  every  effort 
for  his  re-election,  he  refused,  with  commendable  delicacy,  to  use 


1828-9.]          JOHN    QUINCY    ADAMS'S    ADMINISTRATION.  417 

the  patronage  or  influence  of  the  Executive  to  further  their  ends 
or  to  ensure  his  own  continuance  in  the  presidential  chair.  Many 
of  the  office-holders  under  him  were  openly  at  work  for  Jack 
son,  and  appointments  were  made  by  the  President  of  men  who 
were  avowed  friends  of  his  opponent. 

The  term  Federal  now  disappeared,  the  supporters  of  Jackson 
adopting  the  name  of  Democrat,  and  their  opponents  that  of 
"  National  Republicans."  The  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of 
Jackson  for  President  and  Calhoun  for  Vice-President,  the  for 
mer  receiving  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight,  and  the  latter  one 
hundred  and  seventy-one,  out  of  two  hundred  and  sixty -one 
votes. 

It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  in  the  last  three  administrations,  the 
President  had  been  the  Secretary  of  State  for  the  preceding  one. 
Clay,  at  this  time  filling  the  office,  was  said  to  be  in  "  the  succes 
sion."  The  order  was  now  broken. 

The  administration  of  Adams  had  been  a  peaceful,  and,  in  spite 
of  the  financial  embarrassments  of  the  country,  a  prosperous  one. 
The  public  debt  had  been  diminished  over  thirty  million  dollars, 
while  there  was  a  surplus  of  five  million  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  thousand  six  hundred  and  thirty-eight  dollars  in  the  treasury. 

Andrew  Jackson,  the  seventh  President  of  the  Republic,  took 
the  oath  of  office  March  4,  1829  ;  for  the  first  time  in  the  history 
of  this  country,  the  out-going  President  absenting  himself  during 
the  inauguration  of  his  successor.  Jackson  was  born  of  Scotch- 
Irish  parents  at  Waxhaw  Settlement,  S.  C.,  March  15,  1767.  In 
his  youth,  he  experienced  the  bitterness  of  poverty  and  the  absence 
of  parental  care.  Removing  to  Tennessee  in  1788,  he  speedily 
acquired  the  respect  of  the  hardy  settlers  of  that  region,  and 
occupied  several  prominent  offices.  He  gained  his  wide  popu 
larity,  however,  as  a  soldier.  It  was  on  the  field  that  he  won 
the  sobriquet  by  which  he  is  best  known,  that  of  u  Old  Hickory." 

When  the  people  thus  bestow  upon  a  citizen  a  homely  title,  by 
which  he  is  almost  as  well  known  as  by  his  own  name,  it  is 
exceedingly  significant  both  of  his  character  and  their  confidence. 
There  are  many  illustrations  of  this  in  our  history,  such  as  "  Tip- 
pecanoe  and  Tyler  too,"  in  1840;  "  Old  Rough  and  Ready,"  in 
1848  ;  "  Buck  and  Breck,"  in  1856  ;  and  "  Uncle  Abe,"  in  1860.  The 
familiarity  is  not  of  that  kind  which  breeds  contempt,  but  is  mag 
netic  and  excites  enthusiasm.  The  popular  voice  seems  thus  to 
cry  out,  "  He  is  one  of  us.  We  will  support  him." 
27 


418  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1829. 

Jackson  was  rough,  uneducated,  and  irascible.  During  the 
trial  of  Burr  in  Richmond,  while  he  was  haranguing  a  crowd, 
Winfield  Scott,  having  inquired  the  name  of  the  speaker,  re 
ceived  for  a  reply,  "  A  great  blackguard  from  Tennessee,  one 
Andrew  Jackson."  He  was  impatient  of  restraint,  incapable  of 
fear,  and  a  principal  in  a  number  of  duels.  Yet  he  was  affable, 
humane,  considerate,  and,  at  the  bottom,  a  Christian — if  not  until 
the  later  years  of  his  life  a  professing  one,  at  least  always  having 
great  respect  for  those  who  were  religious. 

While  he  was  yet  connected  with  the  army,  an  officer  com 
plained  to  him  that  some  soldiers  were  making  a  great  noise  in  a 
tent.  "  What  are  they  doing  ?  "  asked  the  general.  "  They  are 
praying  now,  but  have  been  singing,"  was  the  reply.  "  And  is 
that  a  crime?"  asked  Jackson,  with  emphasis.  "  The  Articles  of 
War,"  said  the  officer,  "  order  punishment  for  any  unusual  noise." 
"  God  forbid,"  replied  the  general,  with  much  feeling,  "  that 
praying  and  singing  should  be  an  unusual  noise  in  my  camp ; 
I  advise  you  to  go  and  join  them." 

"  I  arrived  at  his  house,"  says  Colonel  Benton,  "  one  wet, 
chilly  evening  in  February,  1814,  and  came  upon  him  in  the 
twilight,  sitting  alone  before  the  fire,  a  lamb  and  a  child  between 
his  knees.  He  started  a  little,  called  a  servant  to  remove  the  two 
innocents  to  another  room,  and  explained  to  me  how  it  was.  The 
child  had  cried  because  the  lamb  was  out  in  the  cold,  and  begged 
him  to  bring  it  in,  which  he  had  done,  to  please  the  child,  his 
adopted  son,  then  not  two  years  old." 

A  son  of  the  famous  Daniel  Boone  was  once  detained  in  Nash 
ville  for  some  weeks,  and  had  taken  lodgings  at  a  small  tavern. 
Jackson  heard  of  it,  went  to  Nashville,  and,  carrying  him  to  his 
home  as  a  guest  as  long  as  his  business  should  keep  him  in  that 
section,  said,  "  Your  father's  dog  should  not  stay  in  a  tavern, 
where  I  have  a  house." 

In  person,  Jackson  was  as  angular  as  he  was  in  character.  He 
was  tall,  straight,  and  spare.  His  dark  blue  eyes,  with  brows 
arched  and  slightly  projecting,  possessed  a  marked  expression, 
and  when  he  was  excited,  they  sparkled  with  peculiar  lustre  and 
penetration. 

Jackson's  election  was  shorn  of  half  its  brightness  for  him  by 
the  loss  of  her  who  would  have  helped  him  to  bear  the  trust  with 
fidelity  and  honor.  His  wife  was  one  of  the  purest  and  noblest  of 
women,  and  yet,  in  the  heat  of  the  political  contest  just  ended, 


1829.] 


JACKSON'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


419 


slander  had  dared  to  sully  her  name.  She  had  been  the  wife 
of  a  dissolute  man,  from  whom  she  had  obtained  a  divorce, 
immediately  after  which  Jackson  married  her.  A  number  of  years 
later,  he  learned  that  what  he  had  understood  to  be  a  divorce  was 
only  the  granting  of  a  petition  to  sue 
for  one.  He  immediately  procured 
a  license,  and  had  the  marriage  cere 
mony  performed  the  second  time.  The 
influence  she  had  exerted  over  him 
while  she  lived,  seemed  to  strengthen 
and  deepen  when  she  was  no  longer 
with  him,  and  his  rough  nature  was 
chastened  and  softened  thereby.  He 
clung  to  her  memory,  cherishing  with 
fondness  everything  that  had  possessed 
her  affection,  and  wearing  her  minia 
ture  next  to  his  heart  until  the  day 
of  his  death.  In  no  one  way  was  the 
change  in  him  more  marked  than  in 
his  language.  He  never  again  used 
that  expletive  that  has  become  histor 
ical,  "  By  the  Eternal/'  nor  any  other 
that  could  be  considered  profane. 

Jackson's  cabinet  was  composed 
of  entirely  new  men  :  Martin  Van  Buren  of  New  York,  Secretary 
of  State ;  Samuel  D.  Ingham  of  Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury;  John  H.  Eaton  of  Tennessee,  Secretary  of  War;  John 
Branch  of  North  Carolina,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  John  M.  Ber- 
rien  of  Georgia,  Attorney-General ;  and  it  having  been  deter 
mined  to  make  the  Postmaster-General  a  member  of  the  cabinet, 
William  T.  Barry  of  Kentucky  was  appointed  to  that  position. 

The  change  in  the  cabinet  was  no  more  complete  than  that 
which  followed  in  the  public  offices  of  the  government.  Formerly 
displacements  had  been  confined  to  the  most  prominent  posi 
tions,  but  now  they  reached  the  lowest.  Under  Washington's  ad 
ministration,  there  had  been  nine  officers  removed,  of  whom  one 
was  a  defaulter ;  under  John  Adams's,  ten,  one  being  a  defaulter ; 
under  Jefferson's,  thirty-nine ;  under  Madison's,  five,  three  being 
defaulters ;  under  Monroe's,  nine,  six  for  cause  ;  and  under  John 
Quincy  Adams's,  two,  both  for  cause;  the  whole  number  of  re 
movals  by  the  six  Presidents  being  seventy-four.  During  the 


ANDREW   JACKSON. 


420  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1829. 

recess,  before  the  meeting  of  the  Twenty-first  Congress,  Jackson 
removed  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  political  opponents  from 
office,  appointing  his  friends  to  the  positions.  Within  less  than 
a  year,  four  hundred  and  ninety-one  postmasters  alone  were  dis 
placed. 

Some  politicians  in  whom  the  general  had  confidence,  wishing 
him  to  remove  the  collector  of  the  port  of  Salem,  Massachusetts, 
the  name  of  his  successor  was  accordingly  sent  to  the  Senate. 
"  Do  you  know,"  asked  Colonel  Benton  of  the  President,  "  who  it 
is  whom  you  are  about  to  remove  ?  "  "  No,"  replied  he,  "  I  can't 
think  of  his  name ;  but  I  know  he  is  an  incompetent  man,  and  a 
New  England,  Hartford  Convention  Federalist ! "  "  Sir,"  said 
Benton,  "  the  incumbent  is  General  Miller,  who  was  a  brave  soldier 
on  the  Niagara  frontier."  Jackson  excitedly  exclaimed,  "  Not  the 
brave  Miller  who  said,  '  I'll  try,'  when  asked  if  he  could  take  the 
British  battery  ?  "  "  The  same  man,  sir,"  responded  Benton.  "  Old 
Hickory  "  pulled  a  bell  violently,  and  when  the  servant  appeared, 
he  said,  "  Tell  Colonel  Donelson  I  want  him — quick."  "  Donel- 
son,"  said  the  President,  as  soon  as  he  entered,  "  I  want  the  name 
of  that  fellow  nominated  for  collector  at  Salem  withdrawn  in 
stantly.  These  politicians  are  the  most  remorseless  scoundrels 
alive.  Write  a  letter  to  General  Miller,  and  tell  him  he  shall  hold 
the  office  as  long  as  Andrew  Jackson  lives.  Stay — I'll  write  it 
myself;  the  assurance  will  be  more  gratifying  from  a  brother- 
soldier."  That  promise  was  faithfully  kept. 

In  September,  1829,  the  owner  of  the  schooner  Michigan,  the 
largest  and  rottenest  craft  on  Lake  Erie,  hit  upon  a  plan  to  get  it 
off  his  hands,  and  at  the  same  time  turn  an  honest  penny.  He 
induced  the  proprietors  of  hotels  on  both  sides  of  Niagara  Falls 
to  buy  the  schooner  and  send  it  over  the  falls.  For  several  days 
previous  to  the  novel  event,  the  stages  and  canal-boats,  and 
wagons  from  the  country,  were  crowded.  Farmers  left  their 
fields,  and  business  men  their  counters.  On  the  appointed  day, 
half  a  dozen  excursion  steamers  were  called  into  service.  Each 
had  its  throng  of  expectant  people  and  a  band  of  music.  The  task 
of  towing  the  Michigan  to  the  rapids  was  entrusted  to  one  Cap 
tain  Rough  and  five  oarsmen.  They  put  up  some  effigies,  and 
then  let  loose  on  board  a  buffalo  from  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
three  bears  from  Green  Bay  and  Grand  River,  two  foxes,  a 
raccoon,  a  dog,  a  cat,  and  four  geese.  When  they  cut  the  tow- 
line,  this  extraordinary  crew  did  what  many  other  crews  have 


1829-30.]  JACKSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  421 

done — ran  from  one  end  of  the  deck  to  the  other  in  despair.  The 
ship  started  off  majestically,  amid  the  huzzas  of  the  eager  specta 
tors  who  crowded  the  high  shores  on  either  side.  She  darted 
through  the  first  rapids  as  true  as  any  pilot  could  have  guided 
her.  Two  of  the  bears  then  plunged  into  the  rapids,  swam  to 
land,  and  were  caught.  The  remaining  one  attempted  to  climb 
the  rigging.  As  the  vessel  descended  the  second  rapids,  her  mast 
went  by  the  board.  She  then  swung  partly  around  and  presented 
her  broadside  to  the  foaming  waters.  Here  she  remained  station 
ary  for  a  few  moments,  poised  on  the  waves.  Then  she  shot  to 
the  third  rapids,  where  she  bilged,  but  carried  her  hull,  appar 
ently  whole,  between  Grass  Island  and  the  British  shore  to  the 
Horseshoe,  over  which  she  plunged,  stern  foremost.  The  ship 
was  dashed  into  a  thousand  pieces.  The  cat,  the  dog,  and  the 
foxes  were  never  heard  of  more  ;  but  the  geese  were  found  below 
on  the  bank  quietly  oiling  their  feathers.  The  effigy  of  Andrew 
Jackson  was  also  uninjured — like  the  geese,  as  some  papers  dryly 
remarked — and  was  greeted  with  shouts  as  it  threw  its  arms 
about  and  knocked  its  knees  together  in  the  eddies. 

December  29,  1829,  Mr.  Foot  of  Connecticut  introduced  into 
the  Senate  a  series  of  resolutions  in  relation  to  the  public  lands. 
The  discussion  which  followed  lasted  several  weeks  and  took  a 
wide  range,  including  almost  every  issue  that  party  feeling  or  po 
litical  ambition  could  raise.  Robert  Y.  Hayne  of  South  Carolina, 
a  brilliant  and  engaging  orator,  in  the  course  of  a  speech,  January 
1 9th,  attacked  the  policy  of  the  government  toward  the  Western 
States,  favored  the  idea  of  giving  the  public  lands  to  the  settlers, 
and  objected  to  a  tariff  in  preference  to  direct  taxation.  Daniel 
Webster  of  Massachusetts  replied,  deprecating  the  light  value 
which  seemed  to  be  placed  upon  the  Union,  and  defending  the 
tariff  and  the  action  of  the  East  with  regard  to  it,  as  well  as  to  the 
public  lands  and  all  Western  interests.  Two  days  after,  Hayne 
rejoined,  declaring  that  Webster  had  once  opposed  the  tariff 
which  he  then  advocated  ;  supporting  the  institution  of  slavery ; 
deprecating  the  consolidation  of  the  Union ;  asserting  the  right 
of  a  State  to  resist  the  execution  of  a  law  she  deems  unconstitu 
tional  ;  and  taunting  the  East  with  the  Hartford  Convention  and 
its  opposition  to  the  war  of  1812-14.  January  26th,  Webster 
delivered  his  second  great  speech,  and  the  one  which  gave  him 
the  proud  title  of  the  "  Defender  of  the  Constitution."  After  jus 
tifying  his  own  course  and  the  history  of  Massachusetts,  he  closed 


422 


INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS. 


[1829-30.. 


with  the  memorable  words,  "  Liberty  and  union,  now  and  forever, 
one  and  inseparable  !  " 

The  feelings  entertained  by  the  mass  of  the  people  during  this 
lengthy  debate  are  well  evidenced  by  an  incident  related  of  a 
farmer-friend  of  Webster,  who  regarded  him  with  something  akin 
to  worship.  He  had  watched  the  proceedings  in  Congress  with 
anxious  solicitude.  Day  followed  day,  and  made  themselves  into 
weeks,  and  yet  his  hero  had  not  spoken.  He  felt  that  the  coun 
try's  safety  depended  upon  Webster,  and  his  silence  indicated 


HAYNE   AND    WEBSTER. 


that  nothing  could  be  said  on  the  side  of  the  Constitution,  and 
portended  disaster  to  the  Republic.  At  length  came  the  speech 
of  Hayne  denouncing  the  Union.  He  took  to  his  bed,  convinced 
that  Webster  was  crushed.  In  a  few  days,  Webster's  reply  was- 
brought  to  him.  For  some  time  he  refused  to  read  it;  but  finally, 
glancing  at  a  portion,  he  suddenly  seized  the  paper  and  perused 
the  first  few  calm  and  dignified  sentences :  "  When  the  mariner 
has  been  tossed  for  many  days  in  thick  weather  and  on  an  un 
known  sea,  he  naturally  avails  himself  of  the  first  pause  in  the 
storm,  the  earliest  glance  of  the  sun,  to  take  his  latitude  and  ascer 
tain  how  far  the  elements  have  driven  him  from  his  true  course. 
Let  us  imitate  his  prudence,  and,  before  we  float  further  on  the 
waves  of  this  debate,  refer  to  the  point  from  which  we  departed, 
that  we  may  at  least  be  able  to  conjecture  where  we  now  are.  I 
ask  for  the  reading  of  the  resolution."  It  was  enough.  In  the 


1829-31.]  JACKSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  423 

joy  of  the  moment,  he  threw  the  paper  high  in  air,  and  cried 
out  to  his  son,  "  Boy,  bring  me  my  boots.  Webster  has  spoken !  " 
From  that  instant  he  was  a  well  man. 

During  the  first  session  of  the  Twenty-first  Congress,  Jackson 
used  the  veto-power  four  times,  while  Washington  had  employed 
it  only  twice  during  his  entire  presidency,  and  the  Adamses  and 
Jefferson  not  at  all. 

The  President  became  personally  alienated  from  Calhoun  on 
learning  that  he  had  been  opposed  to  him  during  the  Seminole 
campaign ;  and  politically,  on  account  of  his  support  of  the  doc 
trine  of  nullification.  Calhoun  being  a  candidate  for  the  next 
presidency,  with  a  strong  following,  a  rupture  arose  in  the  cab 
inet,  which  led  to  the  resignation  of  all  its  members.  Scandal, 
ever  busy  with  Jackson's  private  as  well  as  public  life,  attributed 
the  disagreement  to  the  influence  of  Mrs.  Eaton,  wife  of  the 
Secretary  of  War,  with  whom  many  ladies,  especially  the  wives 
of  the  Calhoun  leaders,  refused  to  associate.  Jackson  attempted 
to  control  these  matters  of  social  etiquette,  but  only  aggravated 
the  feeling. 

The  new  cabinet  consisted  of  Edward  Livingston  of  Louisiana, 
Secretary  of  State  ;  Lewis  Cass  of  Michigan,  Secretary  of  War ; 
Louis  McLane  of  Delaware,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ;  Levi 
Woodbury  of  New  Hampshire,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  and 
Roger  B.  Taney  of  Maryland,  Attorney-General. 

James  Monroe  died  in  New  York  July  4,  1831.  This  sad 
event,  occurring  on  the  fifty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  nation's  birth, 
five  years  after  that  of  Adams  and  Jefferson,  afforded  occasion  for 
grave  reflection,  and  seemed  pregnant  with  some  mysterious 
moral  lesson. 

In  this  year,  John  Quincy  Adams  took  his  seat  in  the  House 
as  representative  from  Massachusetts.  It  was  the  only  instance 
that  had  happened  of  one  who  had  been  the  Chief  Executive  after 
ward  taking  part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  legislative  branch  of 
the  government.  He  was  returned  by  his  constituents  eight  times. 
The  influence  and  fame  of  the  "  Old  Man  Eloquent "  grew  contin 
ually,  in  spite  of  his  "  stormy  petrel  "  character.  At  his  death  in 
1848,  he  had  served  his  country  in  high  public  trusts  for  fifty- 
three  years — a  longer  period  than  any  other  statesman  in  our 
history. 

Perhaps  the  most  important  event  of  the  year,  judged  by  its 
influence  in  forming  the  germ  of  those  dissensions  that  culminated 


424  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1832. 

thirty  years  afterward,  was  the  establishment  in  Boston  by  Wil 
liam  Lloyd  Garrison  of  "  The  Liberator,"  a  weekly  journal 
devoted  to  the  advocacy  of  the  most  decided  and  uncompro 
mising  anti-slavery  views.  Its  motto  was,  "  My  country  is  the 
world,  my  countrymen  are  all  mankind."  Though  finding  some 
sympathizers,  it  was  condemned  nearly  everywhere  at  the  North, 
and  in  the  South  excited  the  most  intense  exasperation.  Garrison 
was  threatened  with  assassination,  and  was  in  peril  of  his  life  even 
in  Boston. 

The  United  States  Bank,  the  creation  of  Hamilton,  was  the 
custodian  of  the  public  funds  and  the  centre  of  a  constantly 
expanding  paper  currency.  Jackson  always  regarded  this  insti 
tution  as  an  unsound  stimulus  to  trade,  a  promoter  of  unhealthy 
speculation  and  extravagant  habits,  and  a  huge  moneyed  mo 
nopoly,  possessing  a  tremendous  latent  power  of  corruption,  and 
capable  of  becoming  the  "  scourge  of  the  people."  As  its  second 
charter  would  expire  in  1836,  a  new  one  was  granted  in  1832. 
The  bill,  however,  was  vetoed  by  the  President,  and  Congress 
sustained  his  action. 

When  the  first  charter  expired  in  1811,  the  amount  of  its  un 
redeemed  bills  was  two  hundred  and  five  thousand  dollars.  In 
1823,  twelve  years  having  elapsed,  the  court  decided  that  the 
stockholders  should  no  longer  be  liable.  A  fund  of  five  thousand 
dollars  was,  however,  reserved  for  any  instances  of  peculiar  hard 
ship  which  might  arise.  The  whole  amount  presented  was  eleven 
hundred  dollars,  of  which  the  greater  portion  was  in  the  hands  of 
an  invalid  Revolutionary  soldier,  and  not  paid  until  1825.  Curi 
ously  enough,  a  note  of  ten  dollars  was  redeemed  only  about 
twelve  years  since. 

Many  ol  the  agricultural  States  had  protested  against  the 
tariff  of  1828.  In  June,  1832,  Congress  passed  a  new  protec 
tive  bill.  South  Carolina  instantly  took  the  lead  in  opposition. 
Her  legislature  nullified  the  act  of  Congress,  and  prepared  to 
resist  the  collection  of  the  revenue  at  Charleston.  Jackson  at 
once  issued  a  proclamation  calling  upon  the  people  of  South 
Carolina  to  return  to  their  loyalty,  and  ordering  the  naval  and 
military  forces  of  the  Republic  to  Charleston  to  enforce  the  laws. 
This  prompt  action  put  an  end  to  the  threatened  secession.  As  a 
pacifying  measure,  Clay  came  forward  in  Congress  with  his  cele 
brated  "  Tariff  Compromise,"  which  provided  for  a  gradual 
reduction  of  all  duties  above  the  revenue  standard.  Clay,  being 


1832.] 


JACKSON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


425 


told  that  his  action  would  injure  his  prospects  for  the  presidency, 
nobly  replied,  "  I  would  rather  be  right  than  be  President." 

June  21,  1832,  occurred  in  New  York  the  first  case  in  this 
country  of  that  scourge  of  mankind,  the  Asiatic  cholera.  As  it 
swept  over  the  land,  it  appalled  the  stoutest-hearted,  and  for  a 


HENRY   CLAY   ADDRESSING  THE   SENATE. 


time  carried  dismay  into  the  ranks  of  the  medical  profession.  In 
New  Orleans  alone,  there  were  sixteen  hundred  and  sixty-eight 
deaths  in  thirteen  days. 

A  treaty  had  been  made  with  the  Sacs  and  the  Foxes,  by 
which  they  agreed  to  cede  their  lands  to  the  government  and  to 
remove  beyond  the  Mississippi.  As  they  were  reluctant  to  leave, 
the  governor  of  Illinois  called  out  the  militia  to  enforce  its  pro 
visions.  The  Indians  were  exasperated,  and  in  March,  1832,  the 
Sacs,  Foxes,  and  Winnebagoes  recrossed  the  Mississippi  under 
their  chief,  Black  Hawk,  and  committed  many  depredations.  The 
United  States  troops  defeated  the  Indians  in  several  skirmishes, 
followed  them  into  their  lurking-place,  and  captured  Black  Hawk 
and  other  chiefs.  The  captives  were  taken  to  the  principal 
cities  of  the  East,  that  they  might  see  the  power  of  the  govern 
ment  against  which  they  were  contending.  They  returned  home, 
advising  their  people  to  bury  the  hatchet,  and  the  warriors 
accordingly  retired  to  Iowa. 


426  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1832-33. 

The  friends  of  the  administration  were  agreed  that  Jackson 
should  be  nominated  for  another  term ;  but  to  decide  who  should 
have  the  second  place,  a  Democratic  convention,  the  first  in  this 
country,  was  held  at  Baltimore,  May,  1832.  Martin  Van  Buren 
of  New  York  was  chosen.  The  "  National  Republicans,"  com 
posed  of  the  enemies  of  Jackson  and  the  friends  of  Calhoun,  met 
at  Baltimore  December  5,  1831,  and  put  in  nomination  Henry 
Clay  for  President,  and  John  Sergeant  of  Pennsylvania  for  Vice- 
President. 

There  was  still  another  ticket  in  the  field,  that  of  the  Anti- 
Masonic  party,  which  arose  in  this  wise:  In  1826,  William  Mor 
gan  of  Batavia,  N.  Y.,  was  taken  from  his  home  at  night  and 
never  heard  of  afterward.  The  Masonic  fraternity  was  charged 
with  having  murdered  him  for  violating  his  oath  and  publishing 
the  secrets  of  the  order.  Much  mystery  surrounds  the  case  even 
to  this  day.  At  the  time  it  caused  an  intense  excitement.  The 
issue  between  the  Masons  and  their  enemies  became  a  political 
one.  A  party  was  organized,  which  eventually  brought  into  prom 
inence  such  men  as  Thurlow  Weed  and  William  H.  Seward.  A 
national  convention  was  called  at  Philadelphia,  which  named  for 
the  presidency  William  Wirt  of  Maryland,  and  for  the  vice-presi 
dency  Amos  Ellmaker  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  election  gave  General  Jackson  two  hundred  and  nineteen 
votes  ;  Henry  Clay,  forty-nine ;  John  Floyd,  eleven  ;  and  William 
Wirt,  seven  ;  for  Vice-President,  Van  Buren,  one  hundred  and 

eighty  -  nine  ;  John  Sergeant, 
forty-nine  ;  William  Wilkins, 
•^  thirty ;  Henry  Lee,  eleven ; 
Amos  Ellmaker,  seven.  The 
vote  of  South  Carolina  was 
given  to  Floyd  and  Lee. 

Jackson,   feeling   that   his 
administration    had    received 
the  unmistakable  approval  of 
STATES  BANK.  the    Cation,    struck    another 

blow    at   the    United    States 

Bank.  Being  informed  that  it  was  using  large  sums  for  poli 
tical  purposes,  he  conceived  that  the  public  money  was  unsafe 
in  its  keeping.  In  opposition  to  Congress  and  the  advice  of 
his  cabinet,  he  accordingly,  in  1833,  removed  the  deposits  from 
its  vaults.  A  panic  ensued  ;  distress  prevailed  through  the  coun- 


1833.]  JACKSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  427 

try ;  countless  petitions  poured  in  against  the  measure  ;  Congress 
protested ;  yet  through  it  all  the  old  hero  struggled,  confident 
that  he  was  right.  During  the  depression,  two  attempts  were 
made  upon  his  life — one  by  a  crazy  house-painter,  who  had  been 
told  that  Jackson  was  the  cause  of  his  being  out  of  employment ; 
the  other  by  a  naval  lieutenant  named  Randolph.  In  the  Senate, 
the  President  was  supported  by  the  sturdy  Thomas  H.  Benton 
of  Missouri  and  the  accomplished  John  Forsyth  of  Georgia.  But 
against  these  was  that  trio  of  statesmen — Clay,  Calhoun,  and 
Webster,  who  made  memorable  the  age  in  which  they  lived. 

Jackson's  opponents  now  organized  themselves  as  Whigs. 
The  name  had  belonged  to  the  patriots  of  the  Revolution,  which 
was  not  so  long  passed  that  its  memories  had  lost  their  fragrance. 
The  derivation  of  the  term  is  forgotten.  Among  the  probable 
ones  are  :  a  bibulous  origin,  from  a  Scotch  drink  of  that  name ;  a 
religious  one,  from  the  initial  letters  of  the  motto  of  the  Cove 
nanters,  "  We  hope  in  God " ;  and  a  political  one,  from  the 
Covenanters  themselves,  who  were  called  Whiggamors  or  Whigs, 
and  who,  in  1648,  marched  upon  Edinburgh,  whence  all  who  op 
posed  the  English  court  came  to  be  called  Whigs.  The  cardinal 
principles  of  the  new  party  were  a  high  protective  tariff,  a 
national  bank,  and  a  generous  policy  of  public  improvements. 

The  opposition  procured  the  passage  in  the  Senate  of  a  reso 
lution  declaring  that  the  President,  in  removing  the  public  de 
posits,  had  assumed  authority  not  conferred  by  the  Constitution 
and  laws,  but  in  derogation  of  both.  Three  years  after,  a  motion 
of  Benton's  was  adopted  expunging  it  from  the  records,  and  it 
now  stands  with  a  square  of  broad  black  lines  about  it,  and  over 
its  face,  written  in  bold  characters,  the  order  of  the  Senate 
directing  its  cancellation. 

On  the  night  of  November  13,  1833,  occurred  the  grandest 
display  of  shooting  meteors  on  record.  The  falling  stars  filled 
the  heavens  thick  as  snow-flakes.  Fire-balls  darted  through  the 
air,  one  in  North  Carolina  being  as  large  as  the  moon,  while  at 
Niagara  Falls  another  hung  over  the  cataract,  darting  streams  of 
fire  into  the  falling  waters.  A  Southern  planter  thus  narrates  the 
effect  of  the  phenomenon  on  the  minds  of  his  slaves  :  "  I  was  sud 
denly  awakened  by  the  most  distressing  cries  that  ever  fell  on  -my 
ears.  Shrieks  of  horror  and  calls  for  mercy  I  could  hear  from 
most  of  the  negroes  of  the  three  plantations,  amounting  in  all  to 
about  six  or  eight  hundred.  While  earnestly  listening  for  the 


428  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1833-5. 

cause,  I  heard  a  faint  voice  near  the  door  calling  my  name.  I 
arose,  and,  taking  my  sword,  stood  at  the  door.  At  this  moment, 
I  heard  the  same  voice,  still  beseeching  me  to  rise,  and  saying, 
"  O  my  God,  the  world  is  on  fire  !  "  I  then  opened  the  door,  and 
it  is  difficult  to  say  which  excited  me  the  most — the  awfulness  of 
the  scene  or  the  distressed  cries  of  the  negroes.  Upward  of  one 
hundred  lay  prostrate  on  the  ground,  some  speechless,  and  some 
with  the  bitterest  cries,  but  with  their  hands  raised,  imploring 
God  to  save  the  world  and  them.  The  scene  was  truly  awful ; 
for  never  did  rain  fall  much  thicker  than  the  meteors  fell  toward 
the  earth." 

The  winter  of  1834-5  was  remarkable  for  its  severity.  The 
7th  of  February  was  long  quoted  as  the  "  cold  Saturday."  At 
several  places  in  New  York,  mercury  congealed  in  the  thermome 
ters.  The  Chesapeake  Bay  was  frozen  over.  The  Savannah 
River  at  Augusta,  Georgia,  was  coated  with  ice.  Orange  trees 
as  far  south  as  St.  Augustine,  and  fig  trees  one  hundred  years  old 
in  Georgia,  were  killed.  The  snow  in  many  of  the  Southern 
States  was  a  foot  deep. 

The  venerable  John  Marshall,  for  nearly  thirty-five  years  Chief- 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  died  July  6, 
1835.  The  President  appointed  as  his  successor  Roger  Brooke 
Taney  of  Maryland,  who  held  the  position  until  1864;  the  chief 
judicial  office  of  the  Republic  being  thus  in  the  hands  of  only  two 
men  for  over  sixty  years. 

This  decade  witnessed  a  complete  revolution  in  the  manage 
ment  of  the  daily  press.  Previous  to  1833,  the  newspaper  of  the 
day  was  but  a  journal  of  opinion  and  fancy,  rather  than  one  of 
incident  and  fact.  It  was  devoted  to  political  essays ;  personal 
abuse  of  opponents ;  panegyrics  on  the  partisan  leaders  with 
whom  it  happened  to  agree  or  to  whom  it  was  indebted  for 
money  or  influence,  and  whose  speeches  and  orations  it  pub 
lished  in  full ;  letters  from  abroad  and  frequent  fiction,  with  the 
smallest  possible  space  devoted  to  actual  occurrences.  It  was 
high  in  price,  large  in  size,  and  exceedingly  dull  in  matter.  The 
purely  literary  periodical  press  possessed  many  of  the  same 
characteristics.  On  the  3d  of  September,  1833,  the  first  number 
of  the  New  York  Sun  was  issued,  at  a  cent  per  copy,  by  Benja 
min  H.  Day,  who,  from  this  circumstance,  is  entitled  to  be  called 
the  father  of  the  penny  press  and  cheap  literature  in  the  United 
States.  It  was  a  small  sheet,  but  was  filled  with  news.  Its  sale 


1835.]  JACKSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  429 

gave  employment  to  the  first  news-boys  whose  voices  were  ever 
heard  in  our  streets.  On  the  6th  of  May,  1835,  the  Sun  was 
followed  by  the  Herald,  at  the  same  price,  published  by  James 
Gordon  Bennett,  who  originated  many  of  the  departments  now 
so  common,  such  as  the  city  news  and  the  reports  of  the  money 
market.  He  was  the  first  to  collect  intelligence  from  all  parts 
of  the  country.  In  April,  1841,  the  New  York  Tribune  was 
founded  by  Horace  Greeley.  These  three  journals  were  the 
exponents  of  the  new  order  of  things  in  the  periodical  press,  and 
speedily  had  followers  in  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  Boston,  and 
other  prominent  cities.  Their  cheapness  and  ability  created  that 
taste  for  reading  which  has  grown  into  a  passion  and  become  a 
marked  characteristic  of  our  countrymen. 

Wednesday  night,  December  16,  1835,  a  fire  broke  out  in  Corn- 
stock  &  Andrew's  store,  on  Merchant  street,  New  York.  For 
fourteen  hours  it  raged  unchecked,  destroying  property  to  the 
extent  of  seventeen  million  dollars,  and  leaving  forty-five  acres  of 
land  covered  with  ashes.  But  one  building  remained  standing  in 
the  burnt  district,  looking  in  its  loneliness  like  an  oasis  in  a  desert. 
It  was  Benson's  fire-proof,  copper  store,  at  No.  83  Water  Street. 

Trouble  had  now  again  arisen  with  France.  Five  million  dol 
lars  were  due  the  United  States  for  injuries  done  to  our  commerce 
during  Napoleon's  war.  Payment  being  neglected,  Jackson  inter 
fered  with  his  sharp,  stern  will,  ordered  our  minister  to  leave  the 
French  court,  and  recommended  Congress  to  authorize  reprisals. 
France  resented  this  spirited  action,  but  paid  the  money.  Den 
mark,  Naples,  Spain,  and  Portugal,  also,  in  good  time,  settled 
their  bills  of  a  similar  nature. 

During  this  year,  the  Seminoles  in  Florida,  under  the  lead  of 
Osceola,  a  half-breed  of  great  bravery  and  talents,  broke  into  open 
hostility.  They  were  discontented  with  a  proposed  removal  be 
yond  the  Mississippi,  but  the  immediate  cause  was  the  seizure  of 
Osceola's  wife  as  a  slave,  while  on  a  visit  to  Fort  King.  The  chief 
was  so  defiant,  that  General  Thompson,  the  government  agent, 
put  him  in  irons.  Dissembling  his  wrath,  Osceola  consented  to 
the  treaty  ;  but  no  sooner  was  he  released  than,  burning  with  in 
dignation,  he  plotted  a  general  massacre  of  the  whites.  General 
Thompson  was  shot  and  scalped  while  sitting  at  dinner,  under  the 
very  guns  of  Fort  King.  The  same  day,  Major  Dade,  marching 
to  the  relief  of  the  fort  with  over  one  hundred  men,  was  waylaid 
near  the  Wahoo  Swamp.  In  the  midst  of  the  fight,  the  Indians 


430 


INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS. 


[1835-7. 


fell  back  for  a  consultation.  The  troops  immediately  began  to 
build  a  breastwork  of  logs,  but  before  it  was  knee-high  the  sav 
ages  returned  yelling  and  firing,  and  soon  carried  the  little  en 
trenchment.  A  young  officer,  it  is  said  the  only  one  of  the  party 
not  dead  or  mortally  wounded,  tendered  them  his  sword,  but  was 
immediately  shot.  In  the  following  February,  General  Gaines 
visited  the  scene  of  the  massacre.  He  found  the  little  breastwork, 
mute  witness  of  the  desperate  energy  of  the  hour,  its  logs  pierced 


THE   DADE   MONUMENT   AT   WEST   POINT,   NEW   YORK. 


with  bullets,  and  behind  it  the  men,  kneeling  or  lying  as  they 
were  when  they  received  the  fatal  shot.  The  dry  air  of  the  Florida 
winter  had  preserved  their  bodies  unchanged.  He  buried  them 
all  in  a  common  grave,  and  placed  their  solitary  cannon  upright 
at  the  head  of  the  mound.  A  beautiful  monument  was  afterward 
erected  at  the  Military  Academy  of  West  Point,  to  the  memory 
of  Major  Bade  and  his  heroic  men. 

Beaten  in  several  engagements,  the  Indians  fled  to  the  Ever 
glades.  Expeditions  that  failed  to  find  the  enemy,  and  murders 
and  surprises  by  an  invisible  foe,  disheartened  the  army  and  dis 
couraged  the  country.  Osceola  was  the  soul  of  the  resistance. 
To  every  appeal  for  peace,  he  replied,  "  Here  I  hunted  when  a 
boy  ;  here  my  father  lies  buried  ;  here  I  wish  to  die."  In  October, 
1837,  while  holding  a  conference  with  General  Jessup,  under  a 
flag  of  truce,  he  was  seized  and  taken  to  Fort  Moultrie,  where  he 
died  the  next  year.  Colonel  Zachary  Taylor  defeated  the  Indians 


1835-7.]  JACKSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  431 

in  a  sanguinary  battle,  at  Okechobee,  on  Christmas  day,  1837. 
Treaty  after  treaty  was  made  and  broken;  bloodhounds  were 
imported  from  Cuba,  to  the  disgust  of  all  Christian  hearts ;  and  a 
fitful  war  was  waged  till  1842.  Meanwhile  the  most  of  this  once 
powerful  tribe  had  been  transported  beyond  the  Mississippi. 

The  year  1835  deserves  to  be  commemorated  as  the  time  when 
the  Republic  was  out  of  debt.  The  next  year,  the  surplus  in  the 
Treasury,  about  thirty -seven  million  dollars,  was  distributed  among 
the  States,  on  their  pledge  to  return  the  amount  when  wanted. 
This  influx  of  capital  stimulated  business  to  a  hot-house  growth. 
Seven  hundred  banks  flooded  the  country  with  paper -money. 
Speculation  ran  riot,  especially  in  western  lands.  The  sales  of 
government  land  increased  from  one  or  two  million  dollars  per 
year  to  twenty  millions.  New  cities  were  laid  out  in  the  wilder 
ness,  and  fabulous  prices  were  charged  for  building  lots,  which 
existed  only  on  paper.  Everybody  could  get  credit,  and  every 
body  had  a  project  for  making  a  fortune. 

Arkansas,  the  twenty-fifth  State  of  the  Union,  was  admitted 
June  15,  1836.  It  takes  its  name  from  a  tribe  of  Indians  once  liv 
ing  within  its  borders.  It  was  settled  by  the  French,  under  the 
Chevalier  de  Tonti,  as  early  as  1685,  and  in  the  transfers  and  ces 
sions  of  territory,  followed  the  fate  of  the  other  portions  of  Louis 
iana. 

In  1836,  Congress  accepted  the  trust  of  James  Smithson,  an 
Englishman,  conferring  upon  our  government  a  legacy  of  five 
hundred  and  fifteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  dollars, 
for  the  "  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  men."  The  Insti 
tution  at  Washington  which  bears  his  name  was  founded  with  the 
proceeds  of  this  magnificent  bequest. 

At  the  Presidential  election,  Jackson's  policy  was  once  more 
endorsed  by  the  people  ;  Martin  Van  Buren  being  chosen  his  suc 
cessor  by  one  hundred  and  seventy  votes  out  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-four.  The  Whigs,  unable  to  combine,  had  three  candidates 
in  the  field,  viz.,  William  Henry  Harrison,  John  McLean,  and  Daniel 
Webster.  There  being  no  majority  for  Vice-President,  the  elec 
tion  was  finally  thrown  into  the  Senate,  when  Richard  M.  Johnson 
of  Kentucky,  the  Democratic  candidate,  was  chosen. 

Michigan,  the  twenty-sixth  State  of  the  Union,  was  admitted 
January  26,  1837.  The  name  is  derived  from  an  Indian  term  sig 
nifying  "  Great  Lake."  The  first  white  men  within  its  borders 
were  French  missionaries,  fur-traders,  and  Canadian  voyageurs. 


432  INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS.  [1837. 

The  oldest  settlement  is  Sault  Ste.  Marie,  founded  by  Father  Mar- 
quette  in  1668.  Michigan  formed  a  part  of  the  Northwest  Terri 
tory,  and  then  of  the  Territory  of  Indiana  ;  but  in  1805  was  set  off 
by  itself.  Its  early  history  is  intimately  connected  with  that  of 
General  Lewis  Cass,  who  came  to  Detroit  in  1815,  and  invested 
his  whole  fortune  (twelve  thousand  dollars)  in  lands  lying  near  the 
village,  as  it  was  then.  Before  he  died,  the  tract  was  worth  two 
million  dollars.  He  was  governor  of  the  Territory  for  sixteen 
years,  during  which  he  was  a  sort  of  frontier  king.  He  made  and 
administered  law ;  ruled  over  white  and  red  men ;  and  negoti 
ated  nineteen  treaties  with  the  Indians,  buying  from  them  great 
parts  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Indiana.  Clad  in  his  hunting 
shirt,  he  traversed  the  woods  and  prairies  of  the  northwest,  some 
times  in  a  birch-bark  canoe,  but  oftener  on  foot ;  on  one  occasion 
traveling  four  thousand  miles  in  two  months. 

March  4,  1837,  Martin  Van  Buren  was  inaugurated  the  eighth 
President  of  the  United  States.  The  outgoing  and  incoming  Pres 
idents  rode  together  to  the  Capitol  in  a  beautiful  phaeton  made 
from  the  wood  of  the  frigate  Constitution.  In  his  address,  Van 
Buren  noticed  the  fact  that  he  was  the  first  Chief  Magistrate  born 
since  the  Revolution,  and  declared  his  intention  to  follow  in  the 
"  footsteps  of  his  illustrious  predecessor."  During  the  ceremony, 
Jackson,  sitting  uncovered  in  the  genial  March  sun,  was  the  prin 
cipal  object  of  regard.  For  once,  the  rising  was  eclipsed  by  the 
setting  sun,  and  when,  two  days  after,  the  venerable  man  left  the 
Federal  city,  the  great  throng  who  had  gathered  to  see  him  depart, 
were  too  full  of  regrets  to  speak,  and  gazed  on  him  in  silence  as 
he  lifted  his  hat  from  his  white  locks,  and  with  his  hand  waved 
them  an  adieu.  Something  of  the  same  feeling,  amounting  almost 
to  reverence,  fills  the  hearts  of  American  citizens  even  now,  at  the 
mention  of  the  name  of  Andrew  Jackson. 

Van  Buren  was  of  Dutch  descent,  and  was  born  at  Kinder- 
hook,  N.  Y.,  December  5,  1782.  He  early  fitted  for  the  bar,  but 
the  natural  bent  of  his  mind  was  toward  politics,  in  which  he  soon 
rose  to  an  admitted  leadership.  In  his  own  State,  he  reduced  the 
management  of  his  party  to  a  science,  systematizing  it  as  thor 
oughly  as  an  army,  and  making  the  most  perfect  organization 
ever  known  in  this  country.  If  Clay,  Calhoun,  and  Webster  rank 
among  the  first  statesmen  of  the  time,  Martin  Van  Buren  is 
entitled  to  a  place  among  its  most  expert  and  successful  poli 
ticians. 


1837.]  VAN    BUREN'S    ADMINISTRATION.  433 

Financial  ruin  was  the  legacy  left  by  the  preceding  administra 
tion.  Speculation  had  begotten  extravagance.  Foreign  goods 
had  been  imported  heavily.  These  had  to  be  paid  for  in  gold  and 
silver,  which  were  sent  abroad  in  large  quantities.  Just  before 
the  close  of  his  term,  Jackson  issued  the  famous  "  specie  circular," 
requiring  payments  for  the  public  lands  to  be  made  in  hard  money. 
This  swept  the  gold  and  silver  into  the  Treasury.  Then  came  the 
inevitable  crash  and  the  panic  of  1837,  with  the  financial  ruin  of 
hundreds  and  thousands  of  business  men.  During  the  first  three 
weeks  in  April,  two  hundred  and  fifty  houses  in  New  York 
stopped  payment.  In  two  days,  the  failures  in  New  Orleans 
reached  twenty-seven  million  dollars.  Property  of  all  kinds 
declined  in  value.  Eight  of  the  States  in  part  or  wholly  failed. 
Even  the  United  States  government  could  not  pay  its  debts. 
Consternation  seized  upon  all  classes.  Confidence  was  destroyed, 
and  trade  stood  still. 

After  the  dissolution  of  the  United  States  Bank,  the  State 
banks  were  used  as  places  of  deposit  for  the  public  funds.  Van 
Buren's  favorite  plan  was  the  establishment  of  the  sub-treasury 
system  now  in  use.  The  measure  was  not  passed  until  near  the 
close  of  his  term,  and  was  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  his  failure  to 
be  re-elected,  as  the  moneyed  interests  of  the  country  unitedly 
opposed  the  scheme. 

A  movement  was  now  in  progress  in  Canada  looking  to  a 
separation  of  that  colony  from  the  mother  country,  and  many  of 
our  people  were  disposed  to  assist  their  neighbors  over  the  line. 
The  President,  as  the  rights  of  neutrality  demanded,  issued  a 
proclamation  forbidding  any  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States 
from  taking  part  in  the  conflict,  and  warning  them  that  if  they 
did,  they  should  be  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  government  whose 
dominions  they  were  invading.  A  body  of  American  sympa 
thizers  having  taken  possession  of  Navy  Island  in  Niagara  River, 
hired  a  steamer  called  the  Caroline  to  convey  their  provisions  and 
war  materials.  On  the  night  of  December  29,  1837,  a  party  of 
British  troops  attempted  to  seize  this  vessel  at  her  moorings  at 
Schlosser.  A  desperate  fight  ensued ;  but  she  was  at  last  set  on 
fire  and  left  to  drift  over  the  falls.  A  cannonading  was  carried  on 
for  some  time  between  the  adventurers  on  Navy  Island  and  the 
British  troops  on  the  Canadian  shore.  A  sufficient  force  to  dis 
lodge  the  so-called  patriots  having  collected,  they  forthwith 
decamped.  Other  conflicts  took  place  at  various  points  along  the 
28 


434 


INTERNAL    DISSENSIONS. 


[1839-40. 


line.  At  first,  doubtless,  many  joined  the  cause  from  a  love  of 
liberty,  but  soon  the  enterprise  degenerated  into  a  scheme  of  bold 
outlaws  longing  for  plunder  and  violence. 

The  year  1839  saw  a  great  advance  in  ocean  navigation.  Dur 
ing  the  summer,  the  steamer  Great  Western,  built  in  England;  the 
first  vessel  designed  expressly  for  ocean  traffic,  and  the  first  one 

on  which  the  sails  were  regarded 
merely  as  auxiliary,  arrived  in  the 
harbor  of  New  York. 

The  Democrats  renominated  Van 
Buren  for  the  Presidency,  but  chose 
no  Vice-President.  The  Whigs  held 
at  Harrisburg,  December  2,  1839,  one 
of  the  most  memorable  political  con 
ventions  of  our  history.  Success  at 
various  State  elections  augured  vic 
tory  in  the  next  presidential  campaign. 
A  nomination,  therefore,  seemed  al 
most  equivalent  to  a  final  decision. 
The  prominent  candidates  were  Henry 
Clay,  William  Henry  Harrison,  and 
Winfield  Scott.  At  first,  Clay  re 
ceived  a  plurality  of  votes ;  but  after 
three  days  balloting,  Harrison  was 
nominated ;  John  Tyler  of  Virginia 
was  placed  second  on  the  ticket. 
Clay's  friends  insisted  that  he  was 
beaten  by  trickery.  The  truth,  how 
ever,  was  that  while  his  popularity 
was  unquestioned,  his  action  upon  the 
tariff  of  1833  was  thought  to  threaten  his  success  at  the  polls. 

"  Give  Harrison  a  log-cabin  and  a  barrel  of  hard  cider,"  said 
some  of  his  Democratic  opponents,  "  and  he  will  never  leave  Ohio 
to  be  President  of  the  United  States."  His  supporters  caught  up 
this  expression,  and  log-cabins  and  hard  cider  straightway  became 
Whig  watchwords.  The  name  of  the  prophet's  town  (see  page  370) 
was  applied  to  the  victor  himself,  and  the  jubilant  refrain, 

"  Tippecanoe,  and  Tyler  too, 
And  with  them  we'll  beat  little  Van," 

was  shouted  in  song  all  over  the  land.     The  party  headquarters  in 


WILLIAM    HENRY    HARRISON. 


1840.]  VAN    BUREN'S    ADMINISTRATION.  435 

every  town  were  located  in  a  log-cabin,  the  "latch-string"  was 
out,  and  the  cider-barrel  on  tap  for  all.  A  miniature  log-cabin 
became  a  favorite  badge,  and  was  worn  as  an  ornament  by  Whig 
ladies,  who  boasted  that  their  candidate  did  not  occupy  a  palace 
and  use  gold  spoons  and  forks,  but  was  content  to  live  in  a  cabin 
and  drink  hard  cider.  Mass  meetings  and  political  processions 
then  first  became  general,  and  aroused  the  greatest  enthusiasm. 
This  canvass,  therefore,  marks  an  era  in  the  method  of  conducting 
elections  in  this  country. 

Though  Van  Buren  came  into  office  with  a  heavy  majority, 
the  people  denied  him  a  re-election  by  almost  as  strong  an  expres 
sion  of  their  new  preference.  He  received  only  sixty  votes,  while 
Harrison  and  Tyler  obtained  each  two  hundred  and  thirty-four. 
Such  a  signal  revulsion  has  rarely  occurred  in  the  political  his 
tory  of  the  country.  After  controlling  the  government  for  a  con 
tinuous  period  of  twelve  years,  the  Democratic  party  found  itself 
driven  from  power,  and  its  old  opponent  installed  in  its  place. 


THE    BIRTH-PLACE    OF    MARTIN    VAN    BUREN. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

CULMINATION   OF  (DOMESTIC  (DIFFICULTIES. 

1840-60. 

ILLIAM  HENRY  HARRISON, 

the  ninth  President  of  the  United 
States,  was  inaugurated  March  4, 
1841.  His  popularity  was  mani 
fested  in  other  ways  than  by  the 
large  vote  he  received  at  the 
polls.  It  has  been  the  custom  to 
name  children  after  those  per 
sons  who  were  especially  promi 
nent  at  the  time  of  their  birth  or 
christening.  In  any  community, 
one  can  thus  shrewdly  conjec 
ture  the  ages  of  a  large  propor 
tion  of  the  people  on  learning  their  Christian  names.  The  gener 
ations  of  Washingtons,  John  Adamses,  and  Jeffersons  have  nearly 
run  out,  but  the  Andrew  Jacksons  and  William  Henrys  or  William 
Henry  Harrisons  still  flourish  among  the  middle-aged.  That  the 
latter  has  been  used  as  a  Christian  name  more  extensively  than 
any  other,  is  an  indisputable  evidence  of  the  personal  popularity 
of  "  Old  Tippecanoe."  Never  had  the  national  capital  beheld 
such  a  crowd  as  thronged  to  witness  his  inauguration.  An  im 
mense  procession  of  civic  and  military  societies  and  citizens 
escorted  him  from  his  hotel  to  the  Capitol.  Harrison  himself 
was  mounted  on  a  white  charger,  and  was  surrounded  by  officers 
and  soldiers  who  had  served  under  him  in  the  war  of  1812-14. 

There  was  something  about  the  new  President  that  attracted 
every  one  who  came  into  his  presence,  inspiring  at  once  confi 
dence,  respect,  and  affection.  He  was  tall,  slender,  and  pecu- 


1841.]  HARRISON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  437 

liarly  graceful  in  his  movements.  He  had  a  fine  dark  eye, 
remarkable  for  its  keenness,  fire,  and  intelligence ;  while  his 
countenance  was  strongly  expressive  of  the  vivacity  of  his  mind 
and  the  benevolence  of  his  character. 

General  Harrison  was  born  February  9,  1773,  at  Berkeley,  Va. 
Early  losing  his  father,  he  was  left  to  the  guardianship  of  Robert 
Morris.  He  had  begun  to  prepare  for  the  practice  of  medicine, 
when  the  Indian  barbarities  along  the  frontier  aroused  his  mili 
tary  spirit,  and  he  applied  for  a  commission  to  Washington,  who 
had  intimately  known  his  father  and  family.  In  1795,  he  was 
made  captain,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  Fort  Washington,  on 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Cincinnati.  Here  he  wooed  and 
won  the  "  sweet  Anne  Symmes,"  daughter  of  the  proprietor  of 
the  "  Great  Miami  Purchase,"  then  living  in  a  spacious  log-house 
at  the  North  Bend  of  the  Ohio.  The  father  objected  to  the 
match ;  but  returning  home  one  day  after  a  brief  absence,  he 
learned  that  Harrison  had  meanwhile  wedded  his  daughter. 
"  Well,  sir,"  he  said,  somewhat  sternly,  "  I  understand  you  have 
married  Anne."  "  Yes,  sir,"  responded  Harrison.  "  How  do 
you  expect  to  support  her?"  the  father  inquired.  "By  my 
sword  and  my  own  right  arm,"  quickly  responded  the  young 
officer. 

Harrison  was  not  a  politician,  and,  in  making  his  appoint 
ments,  he  complained  bitterly  of  party  tyranny.  He  especially 
disliked  Henry  Clay,  who,  when  Secretary  of  State,  had  repulsed 
his  application  for  an  appointment  to  a  diplomatic  mission.  It  is 
said  that  Clay  told  him  that  he  was  the  "  most  importunate 
office -beggar  that  the  head  of  a  department  was  ever  tor 
mented  by." 

The  governorship  of  Iowa  had  been  pledged  by  Harrison  to 
John  Chambers,  the  suitor  for  the  hand  of  his  son's  widow. 
Daniel  Webster,  then  Secretary  of  State,  had  also  promised  it  to 
General  Wilson  of  New  Hampshire.  At  a  cabinet  meeting,  the 
President  was  informed  that  the  members  had  agreed  to  support 
their  colleague.  "  Ah  !  that  is  the  decision  then  ?  "  asked  Harri 
son.  Receiving  an  affirmative  reply,  he  wrote  a  few  words  on  a 
slip  of  paper  and  handed  it  to  Webster  to  read  aloud.  That 
gentleman  glanced  it  over  and  seemed  a  little  embarrassed,  but 
commenced,  "  William  Henry  Harrison,  President  of  the  United 

States "  The  general,  rising  to  his  feet,  interrupted  him 

with,  "  And  William  Henry  Harrison,  President  of  the  United 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.  [1841. 

States,  tells  you,  gentlemen,  that  John  Chambers  shall  be  gov 
ernor  of  Iowa."     And  he  was. 

Harrison  was  not  destined  to  enjoy  long  the  position  which 
his  fellow-citizens  had  so  almost  unanimously  conferred  upon  him. 
After  a  brief  illness,  he  died  on  Sunday  morning,  April  4th,  just 
one  month  after  his  inauguration.  His  last  words,  spoken  as  if  to 
his  successor,  were,  "  Sir,  I  wish  you  to  understand  the  principles 
of  the  government.  1  wish  them  carried  out.  I  ask  no  more." 
It  was  the  first  time  in  our  history  that  a  President  had  died  in 
office  ;  and  the  news  was  received  with  every  demonstration  of 
regard  and  mourning. 


THE  TOMB   OF    HARRISON. 


Among  the  causes  popularly  assigned  for  the  death  of  Har 
rison,  were  the  importunities  of  office-seekers  and  the  persistent 
hand-shaking,  so  characteristic  of  our  country.  The  truth  is,  he 
was  a  feeble  old  man  at  the  time  of  his  election.  He  reached  the 
capital  in  the  midst  of  a  driving  snow-storm,  and  walked  from  the 
depot  to  his  hotel  with  head  uncovered.  So  broken-down  was  he 
by  excitement,  fatigue,  and  exposure,  that  during  the  inauguration 
ceremonies  it  became  necessary  to  remove  him  to  a  side- room, 
and  bathe  his  temples  with  brandy  preparatory  to  his  taking  the 
oath. 

John  Tyler  succeeded  to  the  presidential  chair,  being  sworn 
into  office  the  second  day  after  Harrison's  death.  He  had  shed 
tears  at  the  Harrisburg  Convention  on  the  failure  of  that  body  to 
nominate  Henry  Clay.  Among  the  Whigs,  there  was  much  sur 
prise  shown  at  his  selection  ;  and  it  had  been  a  matter  of  wonder 
to  the  thoughtful  that  a  convention  so  prudent  and  conservative 
should  have  chosen  such  an  obstinate  obstructionist.  "  Why," 


1841-2.]  TYLER'S    ADMINISTRATION.  439 

said  Adams,  "  this  man  stood  up  alone  in  the  Senate,  and  opposed 
Jackson's  force  proclamation,  resisting  the  united  body  at  mid 
night,  prompted  by  some  whim  that  nobody  could  fathom." 

Tyler  was  the  sixth  President  of  the  United  States  born  in 
Virginia.  He  was  graduated  at  William  and  Mary  College,  and 
prepared  himself  for  the  bar.  He  served  his  State  as  a  member 
of  legislature,  as  Governor,  and  United  States  Senator.  When 
the  British  were  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  during  the  War  of  1812, 
he  raised  a  company  of  soldiers  to  protect  his  neighborhood.  The 
troops  were  never  brought  into  action,  and  his  military  career 
was  a  short  and  bloodless  one.  From  this  circumstance,  he  ob 
tained  the  title  of  "  Captain  Tyler,"  often  applied  to  him  in  ridi 
cule.  Tyler  was  rather  tall  and  thin,  with  light  complexion,  blue 
eyes,  and  prominent  features.  His  manners  were  plain  and  affable, 
and  in  private  life  he  was  amiable,  hospitable,  and  courteous. 

His  administration  seriously  disappointed  the  expectations  of 
the  party  which  had  elevated  him  to  power.  Upon  the  question 
of  a  re-charter  of  the  United  States  Bank,  he  was  speedily  in  an 
tagonism  with  Congress.  A  bill  reviving  that  institution  being 
vetoed,  Congress  passed  another  based  entirely  on  the  President's 
suggestions,  and  complying  with  all  his  requirements.  His  veto 
of  this  caused  the  resignation  of  every  member  of  the  cabinet  ex 
cept  Webster,  then  Secretary  of  State.  He  remained  in  order  to 
complete  the  delicate  and  important  negotiations  then  pending 
with  England  concerning  the  northeast  boundary  between  Maine 
and  New  Brunswick.  The  Ashburton  Treaty,  concluded  in  1842, 
settled  this  question,  and  redounded  greatly  to  the  credit  of  Web 
ster.  He  then,  also,  retired  from  the  cabinet.  The  whole  country 
was  thrown  into  a  white  heat  of  excitement  over  this  conflict  be 
tween  the  executive  and  the  legislative  branch  of  the  government. 

While  Tyler  thus  lost  the  confidence  of  the  party  by  which  he 
was  elected,  he  failed  to  gain  that  of  his  political  opponents. 
He  assumed  a  style  too  aristocratic  to  please  the  taste  of  the 
times.  He  permitted  himself  to  be  called  in  conversation  "  Your 
Excellency,"  as  a  matter  of  right.  His  coach  was  drawn  by  four 
horses,  while  two,  and  sometimes  one,  had  sufficed  for  his  pre 
decessors.  This  was  said,  however,  to  have  been  prompted  less 
by  personal  vanity  than  a  desire  to  gratify  his  young  wife.  For, 
although  of  mature  age,  he  was  married  during  his  term  of 
office,  the  only  event  of  the  kind  that  has  yet  occurred  in-  our 
histery. 


440  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.        [1842-6. 

In  1842,  there  was  a  strange  outbreak  in  the  State  of  Rhode 
Island,  known  as  "  Dorr's  Rebellion."  The  government  of  that 
State  was  based  on  the  charter  granted  by  Charles  II.,  the  elec 
tive  franchise  being  limited  to  those  holding  a  certain  amount  of 
real  estate.  Thomas  Wilson  Dorr,  favoring  a  more  liberal  suf 
frage,  called  a  convention  which  framed  a  new  constitution.  It 
was  ratified  by  fourteen  thousand  votes ;  a  new  assembly  was 
elected,  and  Dorr  was  chosen  Governor.  He  attempted  to  take 
possession  of  the  capital  by  force,  but  was  resisted  by  the  charter 
party,  led  by  Governor  Samuel  W.  King.  Dorr  drew  up  his 
little  army  on  a  hill.  Pointing  to  the  State  troops,  who  were  ad 
vancing,  he  urged  his  men  to  fight  until  the  last  extremity,  and, 
if  compelled  to  retreat,  to  retire  in  good  order,  and  with  their 
faces  to  the  foe  ;  adding  in  a  low  voice,  "  As  I  am  a  little  lame,  I 
guess  I  will  go  now."  The  civil  war  inaugurated  in  this  spirited 
manner  proved  a  bloodless  one.  In  three  days  the  matter  ended. 
Dorr  fled  to  Connecticut.  The  authorities  of  Rhode  Island  offer 
ing  a  reward  of  four  thousand  dollars  for  his  apprehension,  he  was 
arrested,  tried  for  treason,  and  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life. 
He  was  pardoned,  however,  in  1847,  and  afterward  restored  to 
citizenship.  He  died  in  1854,  but  he  had  lived  to  see  his  State 
under  a  liberal  constitution,  and  his  party  in  legal  possession  of 
the  government. 

The  Anti-Rent  difficulty  in  New  York,  at  this  time,  attracted 
much  attention.  Lands  belonging  to  the  great  patroon  estates 
(page  56)  were  held  on  a  kind  of  feudal  privilege,  the  rent  being 
merely  nominal,  as  a  handful  of  wheat  or  a  fat  chicken  per  acre. 
Persons  had  occupied  these  farms  for  a  series  of  years,  had  im 
proved  them  with  buildings  and  fences,  and  in  many  instances  no 
rent  had  been  demanded.  When  the  owners,  their  agents,  or 
those  to  whom  they  had  disposed  of  their  interest,  at  length  as 
serted  their  claims,  there  arose  a  great  outcry.  Associations  were 
formed,  and,  in  some  cases,  armed  resistance  was  offered  by  bands 
of  persons  disguised  as  Indians.  The  difficulty  was  carried  into 
politics,  and  then  into  the  courts.  The  State  Constitution  of  1846 
abolished  all  feudal  tenures,  and  forbade  the  leasing  of  agricultural 
lands  for  a  period  exceeding  twelve  years. 

The  Mormons  also  came  into  prominence  about  this  time. 
Their  founder  was  Joseph  Smith  of  Palmyra,  New  York.  He 
claimed  to  have  had,  on  the  night  of  September  21,  1823,  a  super 
natural  revelation,  by  which  he  was  directed  to  a  spot  where  he 


1846-8.] 


TYLERS    ADMINISTRATION. 


441 


VIEW   OF   NAUVOO    CITY. 


found  buried  a  series  of  golden  plates  covered  with  inscriptions, 
which  he  translated  by  means  of  two  transparent  stones  (Urim 
and  Thummim)  discovered  with  them.  The  result  was  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  said  to  be  the  history  of  the  Jews  who  settled  this 
continent  anterior  to  the  Indians.  Going  west  in  1831,  with  a  few 
converts,  he  settled  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  which  was  to  be  the  seat  of 
the  New  Jerusalem.  Difficulties  having  arisen,  the  whole  body 
of  believers  finally  fled  to  Missouri.  Bitter  conflicts  ensued 
with  the  State  authorities ;  the  militia  was  called  out,  and  the 
Mormons  were  forced  to  leave.  They  were  kindly  received  in 
Illinois,  where  they  built  the  city  of  Nauvoo,  and  laid  the  founda 
tion  of  a  temple.  Incurring  again  the  enmity  of  their  neighbors, 
and  coming  into  conflict  with  the  laws,  fresh  difficulties  arose. 
Smith  surrendered  himself  to  the  authorities,  but  was  murdered  by 
a  mob.  Brigham  Young  was  then  chosen  president  of  the  body. 
In  1846,  the  city  was  bombarded  for  three  days.  The  Mormons, 
driven  out  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  went  first  to  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa.  Thence,  in  1847-8,  they  crossed  the  plains  to 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  where  they  established  a  flourishing  colony. 
The  Mormons  accept  the  Holy  Bible  as  received  by  all  Chris 
tian  people,  but  believe  the  Book  of  Mormon  to  be  an  addi 
tional  revelation,  and  also  that  their  chief  or  prophet  receives 
direct  inspiration  from  God.  They  practice  polygamy,  claiming 


442  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.  [1844. 

that  the  Scriptures  justify,  while  one  of  their  revelations  directly 
commands  it. 

A  melancholy  catastrophe  occurred  February  28,  1844.  The 
President  and  his  cabinet,  with  a  number  of  senators  and 
representatives  and  distinguished  officers,  had  gone  on  board 
the  steamship  Princeton,  lying  in  the  Potomac,  to  witness  the 
experimental  firing  of  a  large  gun,  called  the  "  Peacemaker." 
Unfortunately,  it  exploded,  killing  Abel  P.  Upshur,  Secretary  of 
State,  and  Thos.  W.  Gilmer,  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  The  former 
had  been  in  office  less  than  a  year,  and  the  latter  only  thirteen 
days.  The  shattered  remains  of  the  gun  were  deposited  in  the 
Brooklyn  Navy- Yard,  and  remained  there  for  many  years.  To 
one  asking  of  the  soldier  on  duty,  what  they  were,  he  always  re 
plied  that  it  was  the  old  Peacemaker,  called  so  because  it  made 
pieces  of  everything  it  was  aimed  at,  and  finally  made  pieces  of 
itself. 

In  1844,  Caleb  Gushing,  our  commissioner  to  China,  negotiated 
a  valuable  treaty  with  that  country.  The  United  States  was  the 
first  Christian  government  permitted  by  the  "  Celestials  "  to  estab 
lish  itself  within  their  borders. 

While  crossing  the  ocean  in  the  autumn  of  1832,  there  came  to 
the  mind  of  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse  the  conception  of  the  magnetic 
telegraph.  Scientific  men  had  gathered  all  the  material  for  this 
invention.  It  was  his  to  make  it  practical,  and  thus  reap  the  har 
vest  of  their  sowing.  The  story  of  his  long  struggle  to  bring  his 
discovery  to  public  notice,  and  finally  the  appropriation  of  thirty 
thousand  dollars  by  the  Congress  of  1842-3,  near  midnight  of  its 
closing  session,  form  a  thrilling  episode  not  only  in  the  history  of 
our  country  but  of  the  whole  world.  In  1844,  an  experimental 
line  was  completed  between  Washington  and  Baltimore.  On  the 
2/th  of  May  the  first  message  ever  forwarded  by  a  recording 
telegraph  was  sent  in  the  sublime  words,  "  WHAT  HATH  GOD 
WROUGHT?"  It  was  dictated  by  Miss  Ellsworth,  who  had  brought 
to  Professor  Morse,  in  his  discouragement,  the  news  of  the  ap 
propriation  by  Congress. 

In  May  of  this  year,  the  Democratic  Convention  met  at  Balti 
more,  and  nominated  for  President,  James  K.  Polk  of  Tennessee, 
and  for  Vice-President,  George  M.  Dallas  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  first  public  messages  ever  sent  by  telegraph  were  forwarded 
during  this  convention.  They  were  a  notice  to  Silas  Wright,  in 
Washington,  of  his  nomination  for  the  office  of  Vice-President  of 


1844-5.]  TYLER'S    ADMINISTRATION.  443 

the  United  States,  and  his  response  declining  it.  Hon.  Hendrick 
B.  Wright,  in  a  letter  to  Benson  J.  Lossing,  says :  "  As  the  pre 
siding  officer  of  the  body,  I  read  the  despatch  ;  but  so  incredulous 
were  the  members  as  to  the  authority  of  the  evidence  before  them, 
that  the  Convention  adjourned  over  to  the  following  day  to  await 
the  report  of  a  committee  sent  to  Washington  to  get  reliable  infor 
mation  upon  the  subject." 

The  Whig  candidates  were,  for  President,  Henry  Clay,  and  for 
Vice-President,  Theodore  Frelinghuysen  of  New  Jersey.  The 
friends  of  Tyler,  principally  office-holders,  placed  him  in  nomina 
tion,  but  he  was  forced  to  decline,  appealing,  as  he  said,  "  from  the 
vituperations  of  the  present  day  to  the  pen  of  impartial  history." 
The  Anti-Slavery  party  put  in  the  field  for  the  presidency  James 
G.  Birney  of  Michigan. 

The  question  of  the  campaign  was  the  annexation  of  Texas, 
which  had  applied  for  admission  to  the  Union.  The  result  was 
the  triumph  of  the  Democrats,  who  had  unhesitatingly  accepted 
this  issue.  There  were  enough  votes  in  New  York  State  given 
for  the  Anti-Slavery  candidate  to  turn  its  electoral  votes  for  Polk 
and  Dallas ;  making  their  vote  one  hundred  and  seventy. 

Florida,  the  twenty-seventh  State  of  the  Union,  was  admitted 
March  3,  1845.  Its  name  is  derived  from  the  Spanish  word  mean 
ing  blooming.  The  country  was  settled  by  the  Spaniards,  and 
remained  in  their  possession,  except  between  1763  and  1783,  when 
it  was  held  by  Great  Britain,  until  1819,  when  it  was  ceded  to  the 
United  States. 

Among  the  last  acts  of  Tyler's  administration  was  the 
approval  of  the  joint  resolution  of  the  two  Houses  of  Congress 
providing  for  the  annexation  of  Texas,  though  the  formal  admis 
sion  of  the  Lone  Star  State  dates  December  24,  1845.  Texas  was 
settled  by  the  Spaniards  in  1715  and  called  the  New  Philippines. 
Several  missions  were  established,  but  the  Comanche  and  Apache 
Indians  were  the  terror  of  the  border,  and  hindered  the  progress 
of  the  country. 

Many  instances  are  given  of  the  desperate  courage  of  these 
tribes.  After  a  battle  in  which  the  Comanches  were  severely 
beaten,  one  of  the  chiefs  shut  himself  with  his  squaw  in  an  old 
Spanish  house,  and  refused  to  surrender.  Efforts  were  made  to 
spare  him,  and  the  prophet  of  his  tribe  was  sent  to  assure  him 
that  every  avenue  of  escape  was  cut  off.  His  reply  was  an  arrow 
shot  among  the  troops,  killing  one  of  their  number.  Composition 


444 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.       [1803-20. 


balls  were  thrown  into  the  house  through  the  roof,  setting  fire  to 
the  building.  Suddenly  he  appeared  at  the  open  door,  and  with 
desperate  energy  rushing  forth,  nearly  succeeded  in  making  his 
escape.  He  dealt  death-blows  to  the  last,  slaying  three  men 
before  he  was  shot.  His  squaw  having  been  killed,  he  had  buried 
her,  placing  his  warrior's  saddle  at  her  head. 

When   Louisiana   was   ceded   to   the   United    States  in   1803, 
Texas  became  a  disputed  territory,  as  the  dividing  line  between 


HOUSE    IN    WHICH   THE   FIRST   CONGRESS   OF   TEXAS   MET. 

the  Spanish  and  French  possessions  had  never  been  definitely 
determined.  For  years  the  country  was  without  any  settled 
government.  Almost  the  sole  judiciary  was  "  Judge  Lynch," 
and  the  only  protection  for  well-disposed  settlers  was  extempo 
rized  "  vigilance  committees."  Its  people  were  like  those  who 
gathered  about  David  in  the  wilderness — "  every  one  that  was  in 
distress,  and  every  one  that  was  in  debt,  and  every  one  that  was 
discontented."  Whenever  a  man  in  the  States,  unfortunate  through 
imprudence  or  design,  or  sought  after  for  crime,  suddenly  disap 
peared,  there  were  usually  left  behind  him  the  cabalistic  letters 
G.  T.  T.,  which,  translated,  meant,  Gone  To  Texas. 

In  1820,  Moses  Austin  of  Durham,  Conn.,  obtained  a  grant  of 
land  from  the  government  of  Spain  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
settlement.  He  did  not  live  to  complete  his  design,  but  his  son, 


1835-6.]  TYLER'S    ADMINISTRATION.  445 

with  a  party  of  immigrants,  founded  the  city  which  bears  his 
name.  In  1830,  there  were  twenty  thousand  Americans  in  the 
State.  Meanwhile,  Mexico  had  thrown  off  the  Spanish  yoke. 
The  authorities,  jealous  of  the  growing  prosperity  of  the  Texans, 
forbade  further  immigration.  Various  oppressive  acts  followed, 
until  the  settlers  were  driven  to  declare  their  independence. 
Santa  Anna,  having  set  up  a  republic  in  Mexico,  tried  to  subdue 
Texas,  but  his  army  was  defeated  at  Gonzales  October  2,  1835, 
and  a  few  days  after  at  Goliad. 

November  22,  1835,  a  convention  at  San  Felipe  organized  a 
regular  government.  In  this  body  Sam  Houston  made  his  ap 
pearance.  He  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  but  removed  to  Ten 
nessee  with  his  widowed  mother,  and  for  a  long  time  lived 
among  the  Indians  as  an  adopted  warrior.  When  leaving  to  seek 
his  fortune  in  Texas,  he  said  to  a  friend,  "  Elias,  remember  my 
words.  I  will  bring  that  nation  to  the  United  States,  and  if  they 
don't  watch  closely,  I  will  be  the  President  of  the  White  House 
yet." 

When  Austin  resigned  his  position  as  commander  of  the  Texan 
forces,  Houston  was  placed  at  their  head.  He  soon  took  the 
citadel  of  Bexar — the  Alamo — and  dispersed  the  entire  Mexican 
army. 

Santa  Anna  now  invaded  the  country  with  nearly  eight 
thousand  men  and  laid  siege  to  the  Alamo,  then  held  by  only  one 
hundred  and  forty  Texans  under  Colonel  Travis.  The  place  was 
taken  by  storm,  the  Mexicans  losing  sixteen  hundred  soldiers. 
All  the  garrison  fell  fighting  at  their  posts  except  seven  who  were 
put  to  the  sword  after  having  surrendered.  Among  them  was 
David  Crockett,  the  famous  backwoodsman  and  hunter.  Santa 
Anna  then  attacked  Colonel  Fanning,  who  was  stationed  at  Goliad 
with  five  hundred  men.  Overwhelmed  by  superior  forces,  the 
soldiers  surrendered  on  condition  that  they  should  give  up  their 
arms  and  return  to  the  United  States.  In  spite  of  this  agree 
ment,  they  were  all  massacred  in  cold  blood. 

General  Houston,  with  the  main  army  of  the  Texans,  was 
brought  to  bay  at  San  Jacinto  April  21,  1836.  He  had  only  seven 
hundred  and  eighty-three  men  all  told,  few  of  whom  had  ever 
seen  a  battle.  Charging  with  the  cries  "  Remember  the  Alamo ! 
Remember  Goliad!"  he  drove  the  Mexicans  to  flight,  killing 
six  hundred  and  thirty  and  capturing  nearly  all  the  rest.  The 
next  day  Santa  Anna  was  taken  while  endeavoring  to  escape. 


446  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.       [1836-45. 

Houston   rebuked    him    for   his   perfidious   massacres,   but   pro 
tected  him  from  the  revenge  of  the  army. 

A  treaty  made  with  the  captive  general  secured  the  independ 
ence  of  Texas.  It  was  afterward  repudiated  by  the  Mexican 
government,  which  still  claimed  the  country.  Houston  was 
elected  President  of  the  new  Republic,  being  inaugurated  October 


SANTA  ANNA  REBUKED   BY   HOUSTON. 


22,  1836.  The  next  year,  a  proposition  was  made  for  admittance 
into  the  United  States;  but  it  was  declined  by  President  Van 
Buren.  A  similar  overture  in  1844  received  a  more  favorable 
reply,  and  on  the  4th  of  July,  1845,  a  new  constitution  was 
framed  preparatory  to  the  admission  of  the  State  as  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  the  Federal  Union. 

March  4,  1845,  James  Knox  Polk  was  inaugurated  the  eleventh 
President  of  the  United  States.  He  was  born  in  Mecklenburg 
county,  N.  C.,  November  2,  1795.  His  family  name  was  origi 
nally  Pollock.  He  early  removed  to  Tennessee,  which  State  he 
represented  in  the  House  for  fourteen  years,  being  speaker  twice. 
Having  declined  a  re-election,  he  was  chosen  governor. 

His  nomination  for  the  presidency  was  accidental,  the  conven 
tion  on  the  first  ballot  not  giving  him  a  single  vote.  He  seemed 
to  consider  his  selection,  however,  a  personal  triumph  over  Van 
Buren,  who  was  strongly  urged  for  the  nomination,  and  his 


1845.]  FOLK'S    ADMINISTRATION.  447 

appointments  were  apparently  based  on  this  view.  He  also  man 
ifested  a  desire  to  show  that  he  was  not  under  the  influence  of 
General  Jackson,  although,  as  that  hero  and  patriot  had  been 
called  "  Old  Hickory,"  so  was  Polk  termed  "  Young  Hickory." 
He  gave  to  James  Buchanan  the  place  of  Secretary  of  State, 
notwithstanding  Jackson  had  said  to  him  during  a  visit  at  the 
Hermitage,  "  Don't  trust  Jeems  Buchanan ;  I  caught  him  in  a 
falsehood  once  myself."  He  also  appointed  as  Secretary  of  War 
Governor  William  L.  Marcy  of  New  York,  because  of  his  enmity 
to  Van  Buren. 

Folk's  manner  of  living  was  simple  in  the  extreme.  A  foreign 
gentleman  of  culture,  who  visited  at  the  White  House  during  his 
administration,  has  left  the  following  description :  "  The  saloon 
might  be  taken  for  that  of  a  retired  wood-merchant.  An  old 
piano,  which  has  seen  several  generations  of  presidents  and  lady- 
presidents,  a  few  straw  chairs,  six  mahogany  arm-chairs,  two 
sofas,  a  lamp,  curtains  of  white  muslin,  a  crystal  lustre,  the  por 
trait  obligato  of  Washington — this  is  all.  Mrs.  Polk  does  the 
honors  of  this  sumptuous  saloon  with  a  kindness  Avhich  merits 
better  furniture.  She  rises,  converses,  shakes  hands,  is  very 
amiable,  and,  above  all,  she  endeavors  to  be  so.  As  to  the  Presi 
dent's  equipages,  they  are  far  from  requiring  a  numerous  crowd 
of  coachmen,  valets,  and  grooms.  If  he  orders  the  horses  to  be 
harnessed,  his  orders  run  no  hazard  of  being  misinterpreted  ;  he 
owns  nothing  but  a  carriage  open  to  the  wind,  which  is  defended 
from  the  rain,  the  sun,  the  cold,  only  by  flying  curtains  of  leather. 
Two  peaceable  horses  draw  his  vehicle." 

Speaking  of  an  interview  with  the  President,  he  says,  "  As 
soon  as  the  office-seeker  had  retired,  the  President  rang  the  bell 
for  his  negro.  Receiving  no  answer,  Mr.  Polk,  suspecting  the 
difficulty,  came  himself  to  meet  the  visitor,  and  this  without  the 
slightest  display  of  anger  or  ill-humor.  Mr.  Polk  is  not  tall ;  his 
gray  eyes  are  quick  and  animated  ;  his  manners  are  those  of  a 
gentleman  ;  his  smile  is  intelligent  and  arch.  He  gave  the  visitor 
his  hand,  and  made  him  sit  beside  him  at  a  table,  entering  into 
conversation  at  once,  for  one  can  converse  with  the  President  of 
the  United  States.  In  Europe  it  is  different ;  on  similar  occasions 
one  replies,  but  does  not  converse.  From  time  to  time  he  inter 
rupted  himself,  and  turned  aside  his  head  to  obey  a  necessity  as 
inexorable  for  a  President  who  chews  as  for  the  humblest  citizen." 

June  8,  1845,  Andrew  Jackson  died  in  his  seventy-ninth  year. 


448  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.        [1845-6. 

His  last  hours  among  the  living  were  calm  and  peaceful  as  was  the 
holy  day  on  which  he  passed  away,  and  he  left  a  memory  that  is 
as  precious  as  his  life  was  noble  and  honorable. 

The  naval  school  at  Annapolis  was  formally  opened  during 
this  year.  Thus  was  laid  the  foundation  of  an  institution  for  the 
instruction  of  officers  for  the  navy,  of  wrhich  the  country  has  often 
since  had  reason  to  be  proud. 

Two  troublesome  affairs  had  been  left  on  Folk's  hands  by  the 
preceding  administration.  One  of  these  was  the  boundary  line 
between  Oregon  and  the  British  possessions.  During  the  last 
presidential  campaign,  "  Fifty-four  forty,  or  fight ! "  had  been  a 
popular  alliterative  cry  ;  our  government  claiming  northward  to 
that  parallel  of  latitude.  The  Democratic  party  was  pledged  to 
demand  "the  whole  or  none"  of  that  vast  region.  Fortunately, 
wiser  counsels  prevailed,  and  a  compromise  was  effected,  the 
boundary  line  being  fixed  at  the  forty-ninth  degree. 

The  difficulty  with  Mexico  growing  out  of  the  annexation  of 
Texas  was  not  so  easily  arranged.  In  anticipation  of  trouble, 
Brevet-General  Zachary  Taylor,  then  stationed  at  Fort  Jessup, 
Louisiana,  had  received  orders  to  form  an  "  army  of  occupation." 
In  August,  1845,  he  advanced  with  about  four  thousand  men  to 
Corpus  Christi,  at  the  mouth  of  the  River  Nueces,  Avhich  was 
claimed  by  Mexico  to  be  the  western  boundary  of  Texas.  This 
precautionary  measure  was  not  intended  by  our  government  as  a 
hostile  demonstration,  strict  orders  having  been  given  to  General 
Taylor  not  to  commit  any  overt  act.  Meanwhile  the  Mexican 
minister  had  demanded  his  passports. 

In  January,  1846,  General  Taylor  was  directed  to  move  his 
forces  to  the  Rio  Grande,  the  boundary  claimed  by  Texas  and 
our  government.  Greeley  asserts  in  his  "American  Conflict," 
that  the  President  and  his  cabinet  shrank  from  the  responsi 
bility  of  this  step,  but  hoped  Taylor  would  take  one  of  the  numer 
ous  hints  which  they  gave  him  to  that  effect.  He,  however,  dis 
regarded  them,  and  only  acted  on  positive  orders.  March  28th, 
he  arrived  at  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  where  he  built  a  fort 
(afterward  called  Fort  Brown),  directly  opposite  and  within  can 
non-shot  of  Matamoras.  Thereupon  General  Ampudia,  in  com 
mand  of  the  Mexican  forces,  ordered  him  to  retire  to  the  River 
Nueces  within  twenty-four  hours,  "  else  arms  and  men  alone  must 
decide  the  question."  Taylor  received  the  message  with  the  grim 
satisfaction  that  every  warrior  feels  who  scents  the  battle  from 


1846.]  FOLK'S  ADMINISTRATION.  449 

afar.  A  few  days  afterward,  General  Arista,  who  succeeded 
Ampudia,  notified  General  Taylor  that  "  he  considered  hostilities 
commenced,  and  should  prosecute  them."  The  Mexican  cavalry 
were  scouring  the  country  in  all  directions.  Falling  in  with 
Colonel  Cross,  who  was  out  riding  beyond  our  lines,  they  strip 
ped  him  of  his  accoutrements  and  brutally  murdered  him,  pound 
ing  out  his  brains  with  the  butt-end  of  a  pistol.  Captain  Thornton, 
being  sent  with  a  small  body  of  dragoons  to  search  for  him,  was 
attacked,  and  the  whole  party  were  killed  or  captured.  This  was 
the  first  blood  shed  in  the  war. 

Taylor's  depot  of  supplies  was  at  Point  Isabel,  about  twenty 
miles  east  of  his  camp.  Fearful  lest  this  might  be  captured,  he 
hastened  thither  with  the  bulk  of  his  army,  leaving  at  the  fort  only 
three  hundred  troops  under  Major  Brown.  Having  secured  his 
supplies,  he  set  out  on  his  return  the  same  evening  with  about  two 
thousand  men  and  ten  cannon.  Reaching  Palo  Alto  about  noon 
the  next  day,  he  came  upon  the  Mexicans,  six  thousand  strong, 
drawn  up  in  admirable  order  to  oppose  his  progress.  The  conflict 
lasted  all  the  afternoon,  but  the  American  artillery,  at  the  risk  of 
having  their  caissons  blown  up,  dashed  off  into  the  burning  prairie,, 
and  under  cover  of  the  smoke,  which  the  wind  blew  into  the  faces 
of  the  enemy,  took  a  position  where  they  could  enfilade  the  Mex 
ican  ranks,  and  thus  force  them  to  a  hasty  retreat.  Our  loss  was 
forty-seven  wounded  and  nine  killed,  including  Major  Samuel 
Ringgold,  who  was  universally  beloved.  "  Leave  me  alone,"  said 
he  to  his  brother-officers  who  gathered  around  him  when  he  was 
wounded  ;  "  you  are  wanted  forward." 

About  four  o'clock  the  next  afternoon,  May  Qth,  Taylor  came 
again  upon  the  enemy  at  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  They  were  rein 
forced  and  in  great  ardor,  strongly  posted  in  a  ravine,  about  sixty 
yards  wide,  flanked  by  dense  chaparral — matted  shrubs  of  prickly 
cactus.  Taylor  was  anxious  to  reach  the  fort  that  evening,  as  he 
distinctly  heard  its  guns  only  three  miles  away.  After  a  few 
moments  to  rest  his  troops,  he  opened  the  battle,  outnumbered 
though  he  was  quite  three  to  one.  The  Mexican  guns  were  splen 
didly  served,  and  our  forces  were  severely  cut  up.  The  fate  of  the 
day  depended  upon  their  capture.  Taylor  accordingly  rode  for 
ward  to  his  dragoons  and  shouted  to  their  leader,  "  Captain  May,  you 
must  take  that  battery !  "  "  I  will  do  it,  sir,"  was  the  gallant  reply. 
Placing  himself  at  the  head  of  his  command,  May  dashed  forward 
through  a  fire  that  cost  him  half  his  men,  leaped  over  the  cannon, 
29 


450 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES. 


[1846. 


sabred  the  gunners,  and  captured  their  commander,  General  La 
Vega,  as  he  was  in  the  act  of  firing  a  gun.  Th»  infantry  followed 
up  the  attack.  The  Mexicans  fled  pell-mell,  and  many  were  lost 
in  crossing  the  river. 

On  reaching  the  fort,  everything  was  found  safe,  though  the 
garrison  had  sustained  a  heavy  bombardment,  and  its  heroic  com- 


CAPTURE   OF  THE    MEXICAN    BATTERY    BY    CAPTAIN    MAY. 

mander  had  fallen.  In  his  honor,  it  was  called  Fort  Brown.  In 
a  few  days  the  Americans  crossed  the  river,  and  occupied  Mata- 
moras. 

With  the  first  shot  of  the  war  had  commenced  those  horrible 
atrocities  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  which  have  made  the  name  of 
Mexican  almost  synonymous  with  cruelty  and  barbarity.  The 
bodies  of  the  dead  on  the  battle-field  were  stripped  and  mutilated 
in  a  dreadful  manner.  General  Taylor  called  the  attention  of  the 
Mexican  commander  to  the  matter,  and  received  for  reply  that 
"  the  rancheros  and  the  women  who  followed  the  army  did  it; 
and  he  could  not  control  them."  General  Taylor  replied,  "  I  am 
coming  over,  and  will  control  them  for  you." 

President  Polk,  early  in  May,  announced  to  Congress  that 
Mexico  had  "  invaded  our  territory,  and  shed  the  blood  of  our 
fellow-citizens  on  our  own  soil."  He  was  at  once  authorized  to 
accept  fifty  thousand  volunteers.  Ten  millions  of  dollars  were 


1846.]  FOLK'S    ADMINISTRATION.  451 

placed  at  his  disposal.  An  outburst  of  patriotic  fervor  swept  over 
the  country.  Three  hundred  thousand  men  offered  their  services. 

The  plan  adopted  by  the  military  authorities  was  to  attack 
Mexico  on  three  different  lines.  One  column,  under  Taylor,  was 
to  advance  from  Matamoras ;  another,  under  General  Kearney, 
was  to  march  through  New  Mexico  to  California ;  and  a  third, 
under  General  Wool,  was  to  conquer  the  northern  provinces  of 
Mexico. 

In  September,  Taylor  advanced  from  Matamoras  with  six 
thousand  troops.  On  reaching  Monterey,  he  found  this  city 
strongly  fortified  and  garrisoned  by  ten  thousand  men,  eager  to 
avenge  the  disgrace  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Palma.  Tay 
lor  quickly  laid  his  plans.  General  Worth  was  sent  to  carry  the 
Saltillo  road  in  the  rear  of  Monterey.  Opening  a  new  path  over 
the  mountains,  he  captured  the  fortified  heights  guarding  that 
route,  the  Bishop's  Palace — a  stone  building  obstinately  defended 
— and  in  two  days  had  reached  the  walls  of  the  city  and  cut  off  its 
supplies.  The  grand  assault  was  made  on  the  23d.  Breaking 
down  the  doors,  the  troops  entered  the  houses,  dug  their  way 
with  crowbars  from  building  to  building,  and  ascending  to  the  flat 
roofs  fought  hand-to-hand  with  the  terrified  enemy.  In  the  face 
of  a  tremendous  fire  from  the  barricades  and  artillery,  which 
swept  every  street,  the  army  at  last  made  its  way  to  the  Plaza, 
and  unfurled  the  stars  and  stripes.  Ampudia,  the  Mexican  com 
mander,  thereupon  surrendered  the  city,  and  his  men  were  allowed 
to  march  out  with  the  honors  of  war.  General  Taylor  being  as 
sured  that  Mexico  would  soon  make  proposals  of  peace,  granted 
an  armistice  for  eight  weeks. 

A  correspondent  of  the  Louisville  Courier  wrote  a  touching 
incident  of  this  battle.  He  says :  "  In  the  midst  of  the  conflict,  a 
Mexican  woman  was  busily  engaged  in  carrying  bread  and  water 
to  the  wounded  men  of  both  armies.  I  saw  the  ministering  angel 
raise  the  head  of  a  wounded  man,  give  him  water  and  food,  and 
then  bind  up  the  ghastly  wound  with  a  handkerchief  she  took 
from  her  own  head.  After  having  exhausted  her  supplies,  she 
went  back  to  her  house,  to  get  more  bread  and  water  for  others. 
As  she  was  returning  on  her  mission  of  mercy,  to  comfort  other 
wounded  persons,  I  heard  the  report  of  a  gun,  and  the  poor  inno 
cent  creature  fell  dead.  I  think  it  was  an  accidental  shot  that 
struck  her.  I  would  not  be  willing  to  believe  otherwise.  It 
made  me  sick  at  heart ;  and,  turning  from  the  scene,  I  involun- 


452 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES. 


[1846. 


tarily  raised  my  eyes  toward  heaven,  and  thought,  Great  God  ! 
is  this  war  ?     Passing  the  spot  the  next  day,  I  saw  her  body  still 
lying  there,  with  the  bread  by  her  side,  and  the  broken  gourd, 
with   a  few  drops  of  water  in  it  —  em 
blems  of  her  errand.     We  buried  her; 
and  while  we  were  digging  her  grave, 
cannon-balls  flew  around  us  like  hail." 

The  military  operations  at  the 
west  had  been  no  less  bril 
liant  and  successful.     Gen-  ,-—^ 

eral  Kearney  started  from 


A   SCENE   AT   MONTEREY. 


Fort  Leavenworth  with  one  thousand  men,  and  after  a  long  and 
weary  march  of  nine  hundred  miles,  reached  Santa  Fe.  New 
Mexico  submitted  without  a  blow.  After  organizing  a  system  of 
government,  Kearney  then  set  out  with  his  command  for  Cali 
fornia.  He  had  proceeded  three  hundred  miles,  when  he  met 
Kit  Carson,  who  informed  him  that  Colonel  Fremont  and  Com 
modore  Stockton  had  already  conquered  that  province.  Sending 
back  the  most  of  his  men,  he  kept  on  toward  the  Pacific  with  one 
hundred  dragoons. 

Colonel  Doniphan  with  the  main  body  of  Kearney's  command 
marched  directly  across  the  country  from  Santa  Fe,  and  finally 
joined  General  Wool  at  Saltillo.  En  route  he  fought  two  battles 
against  a  force  quadruple  his  own,  and  conquered  Chihuahua,  a  city 
of  forty  thousand  inhabitants.  When  his  soldiers'  term  of  service 


1846.]  FOLK'S    ADMINISTRATION.  453 

expired,  he  led  them  back  to  New  Orleans  and  discharged  them. 
They  had  been  enlisted,  marched  three  thousand  miles,  and  dis 
banded,  all  within  a  year.  It  was  one  of  the  most  eventful  cam 
paigns  on  record. 

General  Wool,  the  inspector-general  of  the  army,  had  the  care 
of  all  the  volunteers.  After  collecting  recruits  and  forwarding 
reinforcements  to  Taylor,  he  set  out  from  San  Antonio,  Septem 
ber  2oth,  with  about  three  thousand  raw  troops.  These  he  disci 
plined  and  trained  as  he  marched  over  desert  regions  and  through 
mountain  gorges.  The  last  day  of  October  he  emerged  at  Mon- 
clova,  seventy  miles  from  Monterey,  with  a  "  model  army." 

The  first  year  of  the  war  had  thus  proved  most  successful  for 
the  arms  of  the  United  States.  Meanwhile,  however,  the  opposi 
tion  to  the  annexation  of  Texas,  growing  out  of  the  fact  that  its 
accession  had  increased  the  slave-holding  area,  had  not  ceased. 
August  8,  1846,  the  President  addressed  Congress  for  an  appropri 
ation  of  three  million  dollars,  to  enable  him  to  negotiate  a  treaty 
with  Mexico.  To  the  bill  granting  this  request  a  proviso,  drawn 
by  Judge  Brinckerhoff  of  Ohio,  was  attached  as  an  amendment. 
It  was  to  the  effect  that  "  There  shall  be  neither  slavery  nor 
involuntary  servitude  in  any  territory  which  shall  hereafter  be 
acquired  or  be  annexed  to  the  United  States,  otherwise  than  in 
the  punishment  of  crime,  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly 
convicted."  Also,  "  That  any  person  escaping  into  the  same, 
from  whom  labor  or  service  is  lawfully  claimed  in  any  one  of  the 
United  States,  such  fugitive  may  be  lawfully  reclaimed  and  con 
veyed  out  of  said  territory  to  the  person  claiming  his  or  her  labor 
or  service." 

It  was  known  that  the  introduction  of  this  amendment  would 
be  repugnant  to  the  feelings  of  the  Speaker  of  the  House,  and  it 
was  apprehended  that  he  might  not  recognize  Brinckerhoff,  who 
was  one  of  the  most  pronounced  anti-slavery  men  in  Congress. 
Copies  of  the  proviso  were,  therefore,  distributed  among  members 
favorable  to  its  passage,  David  Wilmot  of  Pennsylvania  being 
among  the  number.  He  happened  to  catch  the  Speaker's  eye, 
and  this  famous  proposition  received  his  name.  It  passed  the 
House,  but  failed  in  the  Senate. 

The  Mexicans  had  no  desire  for  peace.  They  occupied  the 
breathing-spell  granted  by  Taylor  in  making  preparations  for  a 
more  vigorous  war.  Santa  Anna,  who  had  been  in  exile  at 
Havana,  was  recalled.  The  armistice  having  expired,  Taylor 


454 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES. 


[1846. 


advanced  as  far  as  Victoria.  Here  he  learned  that  Santa  Anna 
was  coming  with  a  force  of  twenty  thousand  men,  admirably 
equipped.  In  the  midst  of  this  emergency  orders  arrived  to 
forward  the  flower  of  his  army  to  General  Scott,  who  had  super- 
seded  him  in  the  chief  command.  Sadly  the  general  complied 


MAP 

TO  ILLUSTRATE   THE 

MEXICAN  WAR. 

Scalp  ,  ,  100  "Miles. 


with  this  requisition,  which  seemed  so  fatal  to  his  own  glory,  if 
not  safety.  Meanwhile,  he  sent  a  courier  to  Wool,  asking  him  to 
hasten  to  his  aid.  In  two  hours  that  general  was  on  the  road. 
Now  was  manifested  the  gratitude  of  the  people  for  the  protection 
Wool  had  afforded  them  during  his  stay.  Fourteen  of  his  soldiers 
being  unable  to  travel,  the  finest  mansions  opened  their  doors  to 
receive  them,  and  the  best  women  of  Parras  offered  to  nurse  them. 
During  his  march,  Wool  noticed  a  strong  position  in  the 
mountain-gorge  of  Angostura,  near  the  hacienda  of  Buena  Vista. 
Here  Taylor  drew  up  his  little  army  of  five  thousand  men  on  the 


1847.]  FOLK'S  ADMINISTRATION.  45 5. 

morning  of  the  22d  of  February.  The  battle  cry  was,  "  The 
memory  of  Washington."  The  Mexicans  began  the  engagement, 
and  there  was  desultory  fighting  through  the  day.  At  two 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  Santa  Anna  attempted  to  turn  Tay 
lor's  right  flank ;  then  he  launched  a  column  on  the  centre ; 
next  he  dealt  a  heavy  blow  on  the  left  flank  ;  finally  he  led  his 
entire  reserve  in  a  terrific  charge  upon  the  centre,  hoping  to  carry 
the  gorge,  the  key  to  Taylor's  position.  The  Americans  were 
almost  overwhelmed  by  their  assailants  ;  but  the  artillery  held  its 
ground,  and  the  Mexican  lancers,  torn  to  pieces  by  repeated  dis 
charges  of  grape-shot  fired  at  point-blank  range,  broke  and  fled. 
Night  came,  and  the  American  army  lay  on  its  arms.  Morning 
revealed  the  enemy  in  full  flight. 

While  the  Mexicans  were,  in  general,  cruel  and  treacherous  in 
their  treatment  of  our  soldiers,  living  and  dead,  it  is  pleasant  to 
note,  for  the  sake  of  our  humanity,  some  of  the  exceptions  which 
occurred.  One  has  already  been  mentioned.  Whittier,  in  his 
"Angels  of  Buena  Vista,"  commemorates  another.  While  the 
conflict  was  raging,  some  Mexican  women  were  hovering  near, 
waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  minister  to  the  wounded.  After 
the  firing  ceased,  they  ventured  on  the  field, 

"And  their  holy  task  pursued, 

Through  that  long,  dark  night  of  sorrow,  worn,  and  faint,  and  lacking  food  ; 
Over  weak  and  suffering  brothers  with  a  tender  care  they  hung, 
And  the  dying  foeman  blessed  them  in  a  strange  and  Northern  tongue. 

"  Not  wholly  lost,  O  Father,  is  this  evil  world  of  ours  ; 
Upward  through  its  blood  and  ashes  spring  afresh  the  Eden  flowers ; 
From  its  smoking  hell  of  battle,  Love  and  Pity  send  their  prayer, 
And  still  thy  white-winged  angels  hover  dimly  in  the  air ! " 

Many  anecdotes  are  told  concerning  General  Taylor's  exploits 
in  this  battle,  which  were  used  with  great  effect  in  the  next  presi 
dential  campaign.  On  the  first  day,  a  Mexican  officer,  coming 
with  a  message  from  Santa  Anna,  found  Taylor  sitting  on  his 
white  horse,  with  one  leg  over  the  pommel  of  his  saddle.  The 
officer  asked  him,  "  What  are  you  waiting  for?  "  He  answered, 
"  For  Santa  Anna  to  surrender."  After  the  officer's  return,  a 
battery  opened  on  Taylor's  position,  but  he  remained  coolly  sur 
veying  the  enemy  with  his  spy-glass.  Some  one  suggesting  that 
"  Whitey  "  was  too  conspicuous  a  horse  for  the  battle,  he  replied 
that  "  the  old  fellow  had  missed  the  fun  at  Monterey,  and  he 


456  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.  [1847. 

should  have  his  share  this  time."  Mr.  Crittenden,  having  gone  to 
Santa  Anna's  headquarters,  was  told  if  General  Taylor  would 
surrender,  he  should  be  protected.  Mr.  Crittenden  replied, 
"  General  Taylor  never  surrenders."  In  the  crisis  of  the  fight, 
the  enemy  made  a  desperate  attack  on  a  battery  commanded  by 
Braxton  Bragg.  General  Taylor  is  said  to  have  ridden  up  to  him 
and  cried  out,  "  A  little  more  grape,  Captain  Bragg."  This 
polite  and  epigrammatic  expression,  the  like  of  which  seldom 
fell  from  "  Old  Rough  and  Ready's  "  lips,  has  become  historical. 
What  he  did  say,  as  repeated  to  the  writer  by  one  who  heard  it, 
was  much  more  emphatic  and  a  great  deal  more  profane. 

The  account  of  the  battle  given  some  years  afterward  by 
General  Taylor  himself,  is  of  interest,  not  so  much,  perhaps,  as 
showing  the  movement  of  the  forces  in  detail,  as  giving  a  general 
idea  of  the  matter.  It  was  told  to  Judge  Butler,  who  had  lost  a 
brother,  the  colonel  of  the  celebrated  Palmetto  Regiment,  in  one 
of  the  most  gallant  charges  of  the  battle.  The  judge  was  natur 
ally  anxious  to  know  the  particulars  of  the  engagement,  and  Gen 
eral  Taylor  had  promised  to  gratify  him  on  a  day  fixed,  when  he 
should  dine  with  him.  As  soon  as  they  were  alone,  he  opened 
the  subject : 

"  Yes,  yes,  judge,"  said  the  general,  "  your  brother  was  a 
brave  man,  and  behaved  like  a  true  soldier.  But  about  the 
battle — you  want  to  know  how  it  was  fought?  " 

"  Yes,  general,  if  you  will  be  so  kind.  I  wish  to  learn  how 
your  troops  were  disposed  on  the  field,  and  how  you  posted  them 
to  resist  a  force  so  overwhelming.  Santa  Anna  must  have  out 
numbered  you  four  or  five  to  one." 

"  The  difference  was  greater  than  that,  I  think,  but  we  didn't 
stop  to  count  the  Mexicans.  I  knew  there  was  a  heavy  force,  and 
longed  for  a  couple  of  regiments  more  of  regulars." 

"  Undoubtedly  ;  but  what  was  your  order  of  battle  ?  " 

"  Why,  why,  you  see,  judge,  we  went  to  fighting  early  in  the 
morning  the  first  day,  and  we  fit  all  day  long,  losing  a  good  many 
men,  and  at  night  it  looked  pretty  bad." 

"Well,  what  next?" 

"  When  it  got  dark,  I  rode  over  to  Saltillo  to  look  after  our 
stores  and  to  provide  against  a  surprise." 

"  Why  did  you  go  yourself?    Why  not  send  one  of  your  aids?  " 

"  You  see,  judge,  everything  depended  on  not  having  our 
supplies  cut  off,  and  I  wanted  to  see  after  things  myself." 


1847.]  FOLK'S  ADMINISTRATION.  457 

"  How  was  it  the  next  morning  when  you  came  on  the  field  ?  " 

"  Not  much  change  since  the  night  before." 

"  Who  was  the  first  man  you  met  ?  " 

"  General  Wool." 

"  And  what  did  he  say  ?  " 

"  *  All  is  lost/  " 

"  What  was  your  reply  ?  " 

u  '  May  be  so,  general — we'll  see.'  And  upon  that  we  went  to 
fighting  again,  and  fit  all  that  day,  and  toward  night  it  looked 
better." 

The  judge,  looking  rather  blank,  asked,  "  What  next?  " 

"  Well,  the  next  morning  it  was  reported  to  me  that  Santa 
Anna  and  all  his  men  had  disappeared  in  the  night,  and  I  was 
devilish  glad  to  be  rid  of  them  so." 

Two  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  General  Winfield 
Scott  landed  an  army  of  twelve  thousand  men  near  Vera  Cruz. 
With  the  exception  of  Quebec,  this  is  the  most  strongly  fortified 
city  in  America.  The  Mexicans  had  such  faith  in  its  strength 
that  they  left  a  garrison  of  only  five  thousand  troops,  bidding 
them  remember  that  the  city  was  named  Vera  Cruz,  the  Invinci 
ble.  The  American  guns  opened  fire  on  the  22d  of  March.  In 
four  days  a  breach  was  made.  Preparations  for  an  assault  had 
already  commenced,  when  a  white  flag  was  displayed  on  the 
walls,  and  negotiations  were  begun  which  resulted  in  a  capitula 
tion  on  the  2Qth. 

April  8th,  our  forces  advanced  toward  the  city  of  Mexico. 
No  resistance  was  met  until  the  army  reached  the  village  of  Plan 
del  Rio,  near  the  mountain-pass  of  Cerro  Gordo.  Here  Santa 
Anna  was  entrenched  with  a  large  army.  His  position  seemed 
impregnable  ;  but  by  the  skill  of  our  engineers,  Lee  and  Beaure- 
gard,  a  path  was  cut  through  the  forest  around  the  base  of  the 
mountain,  and  cannon  were  drawn  up  the  precipice  by  ropes  to  a 
height  overlooking  the  enemy's  lines.  Thence  a  plunging  fire 
was  opened  upon  them,  simultaneously  with  an  assault  in  front. 
The  Mexicans  abandoned  their  works,  their  general  fleeing  on 
mule-back  so  hastily  as  to  leave  behind  him  his  private  papers 
and  his  wooden  leg.  The  next  day  the  army  entered  Jalapa. 
Thence  advancing,  it  captured  the  castle  of  Perote,  on  a  peak  of 
the  Cordilleras,  and,  May  1 5th  ,  took  possession  of  Puebla.  The 
inhabitants,  flocking  to  see  the  troops,  were  grievously  disap 
pointed  by  the  plain  blue  which  contrasted  so  greatly  with  the 


458 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES. 


ON   THE   SUMMIT   OF   THE   CORDILLERAS. 


gaudy  Mex 
ican  uniform. 
They  could 

account  for  the  defeat  of 
their  armies  only  by  say 
ing,  "  The  American  lead 
ers  are  gray-headed  men." 

The  time  of  enlistment 
of  many  of  his  regiments 
expiring,  Scott  was  now 
compelled  to  check  his 
victorious  career.  It  was 
not  until  the  beginning  of 
August  that  he  resumed 

the  march  with  ten  thousand  men.  The  route  was  a  toilsome 
one  over  steep  ascent:,  to  the  crest  of  the  Cordilleras,  where  the 
beautiful  valley  of  Mexico  burst  upon  their  view.  Rapidly  de 
scending,  the  army  soon  reached  Ayotla,  only  fifteen  miles  from 
the  capital.  Thenceforward  the  route  bristled  with  fortifications. 
To  avoid  them,  a  new  road  was  cut  to  the  south.  Rounding 
Lakes  Chalco  and  Xochimilco,  Scott  reached  San  Augustin,  only 
ten  miles  from  the  city. 

Then  began  the  siege.  From  the  2Oth  of  August  to  the  I3th 
of  September,  history  records  a  series  of  brilliant  assaults.  The 
entrenched  camp  of  Contreras,  the  tete  du  pont  of  Churubusco, 
the  foundry  of  Molino  del  Rey,  the  fortress  of  Casa  Mata,  and 
the  frowning  citadel  of  Chapultepec,  mark  the  successive  stages 
in  the  triumphant  progress  of  the  American  arms.  On  that  last 


1847-8.]  FOLK'S    ADMINISTRATION.  459 

day,  the  troops  swept  all  before  them,  chasing  the  defeated  Mex 
icans  through  the  gates  into  the  very  suburbs.  Night  alone 
saved  the  city.  Concealed  by  the  darkness,  Santa  Anna  fled. 
At  sunrise  in  the  morning,  the  army  entered  the  city,  and  soon 
the  flag  of  the  Union  was  waving  over  the  Halls  of  the  Monte- 
zumas. 

Foremost  among  the  defenders  of  Chapultepec,  were  the  stu 
dents  of  the  military  school.  Amid  the  storm  of  the  assault,  these 
gallant  lads  were  seen  fighting  heroically  to  drive  back  the  in 
vader  from  the  scene  of  their  study  and  their  sports.  "  Pretty 
little  fellows ! "  wrote  an  officer,  "  I  am  sad  when  I  think  of  their 
faces  dabbled  with  blood  or  convulsed  with  the  agony  of  a  gun 
shot  wound,  or  when  I  remember  the  mothers  whose  sons,  hardly 
more  than  babies,  were  in  that  cruel  fight." 

Within  six  months,  Scott  had  stormed  the  strongest  places 
in  the  country,  won  battles  against  armies  double,  treble,  and 
even  quadruple  his  own,  and  marched  without  a  single  reverse 
from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico.  He  had  lost  fewer  men,  made  fewer 
mistakes,  and  caused  less  devastation  in  proportion  to  his  victo 
ries,  than  any  invading  general  of  former  times. 

The  capture  of  Mexico  finished  the  war.  The  treaty  of 
Guadalupe  Hidalgo  was  concluded  February  2,  1848.  New 
Mexico  and  Upper  California  were  ceded  to  the  United  States, 
and  the  western  boundary  of  Texas  was  fixed  at  the  Rio  Grande. 
In  return,  our  government  agreed  to  pay  fifteen  millions  of 
dollars,  and  to  assume  debts  due  American  citizens  by  the  Mex 
ican  government  to  the  amount  of  three  million  five  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  war  had  cost  us  about  twenty-five  thou 
sand  men  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  million  dollars. 

The  pen  with  which  President  Polk  signed  the  treaty  was  pre 
sented  by  his  widow  to  the  Tennessee  Historical  Society. 

During  this  war  several  young  officers  distinguished  them 
selves  who,  fifteen  years  later,  on  a  broader  field,  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  world.  Among  them  were  Grant,  McClellan, 
Lee,  Beauregard,  Hill,  Jackson,  Hooker,  Longstreet,  Buell,  John 
ston,  Lyon,  Anderson,  Kearney,  Reynolds,  French,  Sherman, 
Thomas,  Ewell,  Sumner,  and  Davis.  Of  those  officers  especially 
mentioned  by  Scott  in  his  despatches,  fourteen  became  generals  in 
the  Confederate  service  and  sixteen  in  that  of  the  Federals. 

John  Quincy  Adams  died  February  23d.  Though  eighty 
years  of  age,  he  was  still  at  work,  and  his  final  illness  seized  him 


460  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.  [1848. 

at  his  desk  in  the  House  of  Representatives.  His  dying  words 
were,  "  This  is  the  last  of  earth  !  I  am  content !  " 

The  Democratic  nominee  for  President  was  Lewis  Cass  of 
Michigan,  and  for  Vice-President,  William  O.  Butler  of  Ken 
tucky.  The  Whigs,  despairing  of  electing  a  statesman,  like  Web 
ster,  Calhoun,  or  Clay,  determined  upon  one  whose  military 
reputation  would  carry  weight  with  the  masses,  as  it  did  in  the 
case  of  Harrison  eight  years  before.  General  Taylor  was  there 
fore  selected  as  their  candidate  for  President,  Millard  Fillmore  of 
New  York  being  placed  on  the  ticket  for  Vice-President. 

The  Anti-Slavery,  or  "  Free  Soil  "  party,  so  called  because  its 
motto  was  "  Free  soil  to  a  free  people,"  met  at  Buffalo  and  nomi 
nated  Martin  Van  Buren  for  President,  and  Charles  Francis 
Adams,  son  of  John  Quincy  Adams,  for  Vice-President.  It  polled 
only  three  hundred  thousand  votes,  but  is  of  interest  as  the  germ 
of  what  became  subsequently  the  Republican  party. 

The  election  resulted  in  favor  of  the  Whig  ticket,  the  Free 
Soilers  casting  enough  votes  in  the  State  of  New  York  to  give  its 
thirty-six  electoral  votes  to  Taylor  and  Fillmore,  accomplishing 
an  opposite  result  from  that  of  four  years  before. 

Iowa,  the  twenty-ninth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union 
December  28,  1846.  It  was  named  from  a  tribe  of  Indians,  meaning 
"The  Drowsy  Ones."  In  1788,  a  French  Canadian  named  Julian 
Dubuque  acquired  here  a  large  tract  of  land,  and  engaged  in  fur- 
trading  and  lead-mining.  The  region  was  not  thrown  open  to 
settlers  until  after  the  Black  Hawk  War.  The  first  permanent 
settlement  was  made  at  Burlington,  1833,  by  emigrants  from 
Illinois.  Dubuque  was  also  founded  during  the  same  year.  Iowa 
was  successively  a  part  of  Missouri,  Michigan,  and  Wisconsin 
Territories,  and  when  organized  as  a  Territory  itself,  included  all 
of  Minnesota  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  When  admitted  as  a 
State,  it  was  reduced  to  its  present  limits. 

Wisconsin,  the  thirtieth  State,  was  admitted  to  the  Union,  May 
29,  1848.  It  takes  its  name  from  its  principal  river,  signifying 
"  The  gathering  of  the  waters."  In  1639,  the  French  mission 
aries,  trappers,  and  traders  explored  and  occupied  the  country 
west  of  Lake  Michigan.  The  first  settlement  was  at  Prairie  du 
Chien — the  dog-prairie.  The  region  was  held  under  French 
dominion  until  ceded  in  1763  to  England.  Canadian  laws  gov 
erned  the  territory,  and  the  English  kept  possession  with  a 
military  force  at  Green  Bay  until  1796,  when  it  reverted  to  the 


1849.]  TAYLOR'S    ADMINISTRATION.  461 

United  States  under  the  treaty.  From  1809  to  1818,  it  was  a 
portion  of  the  Territory  of  Illinois  ;  it  then  became  attached  to 
Michigan,  and  in  1836  received  a  separate  organization. 

Zachary  Taylor  was  inaugurated  Monday,  March  5,  1849. 
He  was  the  seventh  President  of  the  United  States  born  in 
Virginia.  After  the  Revolution,  his  father,  a  colonel  in  that 
struggle,  removed  to  Kentucky.  On  the  "  dark  and  bloody 
ground  "  young  Taylor  imbibed  those  instincts  which  made  him 
afterward  such  a  successful  leader  against  the  Seminoles  in 
Florida.  During  the  war  of  1812,  with  only  twenty  men,  he  so 
gallantly  defended  Fort  Harrison,  on  the  Wabash,  against  a  large 
body  of  Miami  Indians,  that  Madison  made  him  major  by  brevet— 
the  first  honor  of  the  kind  ever  conferred  in  the  American  army. 
In  1840,  he  became  a  planter  at  Baton  Rouge.  He  was  a  Jeffer- 
sonian  in  principle,  but  was  not  a  partisan.  Indeed,  it  was  said 
during  the  presidential  campaign,  that  he  had  not  voted  for  forty 
years,  and  that  a  nomination  by  the  Democrats  would  have  been 
equally  acceptable  to  him.  When  interrogated  as  to  his  political 
principles,  he  replied  in  substance,  "  I  am  General  Taylor,  the 
conqueror  of  Buena  Vista."  His  inaugural  was  a  plain  document, 
as  became  one  more  used  to  the  sword  than  the  pen.  A  single 
sentence  has  been  often  quoted  :  "  We  are  at  peace  with  all  the 
world  and  the  rest  of  mankind."  Yet  its  strong  sense  and  fervent 
patriotism  made  it  highly  acceptable  to  the  people. 

The  new  cabinet  was  composed  of  able  men — John  M.  Clay 
ton  of  Delaware,  Secretary  of  State  ;  William  M.  Meredith  of 
Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  George  W.  Crawford 
of  Georgia,  Secretary  of  War ;  William  B.  Preston  of  Virginia, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Thomas  Ewing  of  Ohio,  Secretary  of  the 
Interior  (the  first  appointment  to  this  office) ;  Jacob  Collamer  of 
Vermont,  Postmaster-General ;  and  Reverdy  Johnson  of  Mary 
land,  Attorney-General. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Navy  proved  an  apt  scholar,  and  admin 
istered  the  affairs  of  his  department  successfully,  but  at  the  time 
of  his  appointment  he  was  singularly  ignorant  of  its  details.  On 
one  occasion  he  was  paying  his  first  official  visit  to  the  Gosport 
Navy  Yard  at  Norfolk.  Commodore  Skinner,  in  command,  was 
a  "  sea-dog  "  who  to  a  rather  insignificant  person  added  a  con 
tempt  for  forms  and  dress.  He  received  the  Secretary  on  the 
Pennsylvania,  the  finest  ship  in  the  service.  The  boatswain  was 
a  large,  handsome  man,  attired  in  the  uniform  of  his  grade,  and 


462 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.     [1849-50. 


was  conspicuous  among  the  crowd  of  officers.  Mr.  Preston  took 
him  to  be  the  commander,  rushed  up,  and,  seizing  his  hand,  shook 
it  with  great  warmth.  This  blunder  produced  much  merriment, 
and  when,  a  few  moments  later,  the  Secretary,  looking  down  the 

main    hatchway    and 

r  \      If^L///   ///  /     /  discovering    the    pe- 

'  culiarity  of  the  ship's 
construction,  ex 
claimed,  "  My  ! 


SECRETARY    PRESTON    AN'D    THE    BOATSWAIN. 


she's  hollow !  "  it  was 
too  much,  even  for 
the  stern  discipline  of 
a  man-of-war,  and  an 
explosion  of  laughter 
followed  that  reached 
from  the  forecastle  to 
the  quarter-deck. 

About  this  time, 
an  invention  was 
brought  prominent 
ly  before  the  people 
which  has  revolu 
tionized  the  domestic 

affairs  of  the  world  and  released  woman  from  much  of  the  tyranny 
of  the  needle.  In  1845,  Elias  Howe,  one  of  the  benefactors  of  his 
race,  made  a  sewing-machine  essentially  like  the  one  now  in  use. 
Meeting  with  little  success  in  its  sale,  he  went  to  Europe,  where  he 
lived  for  some  years  in  great  destitution.  On  his  return  in  1849, 
he  found  that  he  had  a  competitor  in  I.  M.  Singer,  who  had  made 
some  improvements  in  the  machine  and  was  rapidly  introducing  it 
to  the  notice  of  the  public.  Howe  claimed  his  own,  and  after 
much  litigation  it  was  allowed.  Both  of  these  inventors  began 
poor,  and  gained  fortunes — Howe,  two  million  dollars,  and  Singer, 
nineteen  million. 

The  first  session  of  Congress  under  the  new  administration, 
known  as  the  "  Congress  of  1850,"  was  a  memorable  one.  Some 
of  the  most  brilliant  statesmen  in  our  history — Clay,  Calhoun, 
Webster,  Benton,  Dickinson,  and  Seward — were  prominent  in  its 
deliberations.  Slavery  was  then,  as  it  continued  to  be  during  the 
decade,  the  all-absorbing  topic  of  discussion.  Its  shadow  haunted 
every  question  of  the  day  ;  it  was  a  "  Banquo  "  that  would  never 


1850.] 


TAYLOR'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


463 


"  down "  at  any  bidding.  The  present  issue  was  upon  the 
admission  of  California  as  a  free  State.  Debate  waxed  hot.  A 
dissolution  of  the  Union  seemed  at  times  inevitable.  "  Five 
bleeding  wounds,"  as  Clay  termed  them,  were  opened  to  the  gaze 
of  the  world.  The  famous  "  Omnibus  Bill,"  brought  forward  by 
the  "  Great  Pacificator,"  as  Clay  was  henceforth  called,  was  in 
tended  to  be  a  healing-plaster  for  them  all.  He  proposed  the 
admission  of  California  as  a  free  State ;  the  formation  of  terri 
torial  governments  for  Utah 
and  New  Mexico,  without  any 
provision  concerning  slavery  ; 
the  payment  of  ten  million  dol 
lars  to  Texas  to  give  up  its 
claim  to  the  Territory  of  New 
Mexico ;  the  prohibition  of  the 
slave-trade  in  the  District  of 
Columbia  ;  and  a  fugitive  slave 
law,  enacting  that  slaves  escap 
ing  to  a  free  State  should  be 
returned  to  their  owners. 

This  plan  of  compromise 
was  sustained  by  the  match 
less  eloquence  of  Clay  and 
the  unanswerable  arguments 
of  Webster.  During  the  de 
bate,  William  H.  Seward  of 
New  York  attacked  the  meas 
ure  in  his  famous  "  Higher 
Law  "  speech,  which  was  con 
densed  by  an  opponent  in  a  single  sentence :  "  A  senator  rises 
in  his  place,  and  proclaims  that  he  holds  his  credentials  from 
Almighty  God,  authorizing  him  to  reject  all  human  enactments." 
The  effect  of  the  bill,  which  finally  passed,  was  to  repeal  the  Mis 
souri  Compromise  of  1820,  leaving  the  inhabitants  of  the  incoming 
State  to  regulate  the  question  of  slavery. 

In  the  midst  of  this  exciting  debate,  the  country  was  startled 
and  saddened  by  the  death  of  General  Taylor.  He  was  the  sec 
ond  President  who  had  died  in  office.  His  administration  was  too 
brief  to  determine  fully  its  character  or  influence.  He  possessed 
an  old-fashioned  patriotism  that  breathed  the  very  spirit  of 
Washington,  and  he  favored  every  measure  that  tended  to  perpet- 


GENERAL  ZACHARY  TAYLOR. 


464  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.  [1850. 

uate  the  Union.  His  last  public  appearance  was  at  the  celebra 
tion  of  the  birthday  of  our  national  liberties,  only  five  days  before 
his  death ;  and  his  last  official  act  was  to  sign  the  Clayton-Bulwer 
treaty  between  this  country  and  Great  Britain,  which  settled  their 
respective  rights  and  privileges  relating  to  canal  communication 
across  Central  America.  Confronting  death  with  the  declaration, 
"  I  am  prepared  ;  I  have  endeavored  to  do  my  duty,"  the  war 
worn  hero,  beloved  by  many  and  the  enemy  of  none,  passed  away. 
It  was  his  first  and  last  surrender. 

The  Vice-President,  Millard  Fillmore,  took  the  oath  of  office 
the  next  day,  and  at  once  filled  the  vacancy.  He  was  born  in 
Cayuga  county,  New  York,  January  7,  1800.  He  learned  the 
fuller's  trade,  taught  school  for  several  years,  and  was  finally  ad 
mitted  to  the  bar.  He  afterward  practised  law  at  Buffalo  with 
marked  success.  His  public  life  had  consisted  of  one  term  as 
State  comptroller  and  four  as  congressman.  His  nomination  to 
the  vice-presidency,  as  well  as  his  action  in  office,  tended  to  in 
crease  the  feeling  between  the  two  factions  of  the  Whig  party  in 
New  York,  and  make  it  of  national  significance.  The  "  rock  of 
offence  "  was  slavery.  Those  who  believed  with  Fillmore  in  the 
Compromise  measures  of  Clay  were  called  "Silver-Grays"  or 
"  Snuff-takers "  ;  while  those  who  followed  the  lead  of  Seward 
were  denominated  "  Seward-Whigs  "  or  "  Woolly-heads." 

The  new  President  selected  as  his  cabinet  Daniel  Webster 
of  Massachusetts,  Secretary  of  State ;  Thomas  Corwin  of  Ohio, 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  C.  M.  Conrad  of  Louisiana,  Secretary 
of  War ;  W.  A.  Graham  of  North  Carolina,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ; 
Alexander  H.  H.  Stuart  of  Virginia,  Secretary  of  the  Interior; 
N.  K.  Hall  of  New  York,  Postmaster-General;  and  J.  J.  Critten- 
den  of  Kentucky,  Attorney-General. 

California  was  admitted  to  the  Union  as  a  free  State,  Septem 
ber  9,  1850.  A  Spaniard  named  Cabrillo  visited  the  country  as 
early  as  1542.  Later,  Sir  Francis  Drake  sailed  along  the  coast  on 
one  of  his  buccaneering  expeditions,  and  spent  a  part  of  the  sum 
mer  of  1579  m  the  harbor  of  San  Francisco.  He  called  the  region 
New  Albion,  but  the  English  took  no  advantage  of  his  discoveries. 
The  name  California  first  occurs  in  the  writings  of  Diaz,  an  officer 
who  served  under  Cortes  in  the  conquest  of  Mexico.  Some  have 
thought  it  to  be  derived  from  the  Latin  words  Calida  Fornax,  or  the 
Spanish  Caliente  fornalla,  both  meaning  "  hot  furnace."  The  Span 
iards  made  the  first  permanent  settlements  about  1768 ;  a  number 


1848-50.]  FILLMORE'S    ADMINISTRATION.  465 

of  Franciscan  friars  founding  religious  establishments,  or  presi 
dios,  for  the  conversion  of  the  natives.  They  taught  the  Indians 
to  cultivate  the  vine,  the  fig,  and  the  olive,  and  to  build  houses  of 
sun-dried  bricks  called  adobe.  In  1822,  the  Mexicans  overthrew 
the  Spanish  power  in  California,  and  the  fathers  were  stripped  of 
all  their  influence  and  property.  The  entire  population  in  1831 
was  about  twenty-three  thousand,  of  whom  eighteen  thousand 
were  Indian  converts.  Many  emigrants  from  the  United  States 
now  began  to  settle  in  its  fertile  valleys.  It  was,  however,  an 
isolated  land,  visited  only  by  an  occasional  ship  to  buy  hides  and 
tallow.  In  1846,  Colonel  Fremont,  then  on  an  exploring  tour 
through  Oregon  and  California,  received  orders  to  watch  over 
the  interests  of  the  United  States  in  that  region,  as  there  was 
reason  to  suppose  that  the  country  might  be  transferred  to  Great 
Britain.  He  had  only  sixty-two  men  in  his  party,  but  the  fron 
tier-men  raised  the  "  bear  flag  "  and  flocked  to  his  aid.  In  con 
junction  with  Commodore  Stockton  and  General  Kearney,  he 
took  possession  of  California,  and  held  it  until  it  was  ceded  to  the 
United  States  at  the  close  of  the  Mexican  War. 

On  the  2d  of  February,  1848,  a  man  by  the  name  of  James  Mar 
shall,  superintendent  of  a  new  saw-mill  belonging  to  Captain  John 
A.  Sutter,  came  riding  wildly  into  Sacramento.  He  trembled  as 
he  showed  to  his  employer  a  thimbleful  of  shining  particles  of 
gold  which  he  had  just  picked  up  in  the  mill-race,  where  he  had 
been  at  work.  They  tried  to  keep  the  matter  a  secret,  but  it  was 
soon  out.  All  ordinary  employments  were  laid  aside.  Ships 
were  deserted  by  their  crews,  who  ran  to  the  mines,  sometimes, 
it  is  said,  headed  by  their  officers.  The  news  spread  over  the 
world.  Thousands  rushed  to  this  real  El  Dorado,  over  the  deso 
late  plains,  across  the  sickly  isthmus,  and  around  the  stormy  cape. 
In  a  little  over  a  year,  California  had  a  population  entitling  it  to 
admission  as  a  State.  The  bay  of  San  Francisco  was  soon  sur 
rounded  by  an  extemporized  town  of  shanties  and  booths.  The 
city  flourished  "  like  the  magic  seed  of  the  Indian  juggler,  wrhich 
grew,  blossomed,  and  bore  fruit  before  the  eyes  of  the  spectator." 
Most  of  the  immigrants  were  energetic,  daring,  reckless  men,  and 
its  early  history  is  filled  with  violence,  wrong,  and  bloodshed.  A 
"  vigilance  committee  "  was  finally  organized,  which  took  the  man 
agement  of  affairs  into  its  own  hands,  arresting,  trying,  and  pun 
ishing  offenders  without  fear  or  favor.  For  five  years  justice  was 
administered  in  this  unauthorized  but  effectual  manner.  In  1856, 
30 


466 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES. 


[1.850. 


the  last  vigilance  committee  surrendered  its  power  to  the  regular 
officers  of  the  law. 

San  Francisco  has  been  six  times  nearly  destroyed  by  fire,  the 
total  loss  being  estimated  at  twenty  million  dollars.  Sacramento 
and  other  large  towns  have  suffered  in  like  manner.  Yet  such 
have  been  the  thrift  and  energy  of  the  people,  that  hardly  a  month 


Pacific  Ocean. 

BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 


The  Golden  Gate. 


would  elapse  before  almost  every  trace  of  the  disaster  had  disap 
peared.  The  whole  history  of  the  State  seems  to  belong  rather 
to  the  realms  of  fancy  than  to  the  sober  fields  of  reality. 

Although  the  Compromise  measures  of  Clay  produced  a  tem 
porary  lull  in  the  slavery  agitation  in  Congress,  they  convulsed 
the  country  at  large.  "  The  complex,  cumbersome,  expensive, 
annoying,  and  ineffective  Fugitive  Slave  Law,"  as  Benton  termed 
it,  satisfied  neither  party.  At  the  North,  generally,  it  was  silently 
disregarded.  In  many  places,  however,  it  was  bitterly  opposed, 
and  the  legislatures  of  some  of  the  States  afterward  passed  "  Per 
sonal  Liberty  Bills,"  by  which  it  was  practically  nullified.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  slave-holding  States  were  exasperated  by  the 
tone  of  the  abolitionists,  and  the  difficulties  which  they  met  when 
ever  they  attempted  to  recover  their  fugitive  slaves.  Riots  oc 
curred  at  Boston,  Buffalo,  Syracuse,  and  other  points,  and  the 
whole  country  was  stirred  by  the  tides  of  passion. 


1850.]  FILLMORE'S    ADMINISTRATION.  467 

The  power  of  fiction  was  never  more  strikingly  illustrated 
than  in  the  influence  exerted  by  a  novel  which  first  appeared  in 
the  summer  of  1850  in  the  National  Era,  a  weekly  newspaper  pub 
lished  in  Washington.  The  opening  chapters  of  "  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin"  attracted  immediate  attention,  and  the  story,  which  its 
author,  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe,  had  intended  to  be  brief,  at 
the  wish  of  the  publisher  and  the  urgent  demand  of  the  public, 
expanded  into  two  volumes.  It  touched  the  popular  pulse  at  a 
sensitive  moment,  and  wherever  it  was  read  it  intensified  the  feel 
ing  on  the  engrossing  question  of  the  day.  The  sale  of  the  work 
was  unparalleled.  Half  a  million  copies  are  said  to  have  been  sold 
in  this  country,  and  as  many  more  in  Europe.  It  has  been  trans 
lated  into  all  the  principal  languages  of  the  world,  there  being 
thirteen  or  fourteen  different  editions  in  Germany  alone. 

During  this  decade,  a  bright  galaxy  of  literary  stars  came 
to  the  meridian.  For  years  William  Cullen  Bryant  had  shone 
serenely  as  the  one  truly  American  poet ;  while  Washington 
Irving  and  J.  Fenimore  Cooper,  the  first  American  novelist, 
were  the  national  prose-writers,  and  divided  with  each  other  the 
honors  of  a  European  recognition.  Longfellow,  our  poet-laureate, 
now  began  to  be  heard  in  those  strains  that  are  destined  to  "  echo 
down  the  corridors  of  time";  Whittier,  the  Quaker  poet  of  New 
England,  with  his  verses  full  of  love  for  humanity,  had  sung  his 
way  to  the  hearts  of  the  people ;  Edgar  Allan  Poe,  the  unfortu 
nate,  had  written  "  The  Raven  "  and  "  The  Bells  " — hints  of  what 
he  might  have  done  had  he  overcome  his  besetting  sin — and  had 
closed  his  unfortunate  career,  all  untimely  ;  Nathaniel  Hawthorne, 
attracting  attention  in  1846  through  his  "Mosses  from  an  Old 
Manse,"  by  the  "  Scarlet  Letter  "  and  "  Marble  Faun  "  had  won 
a  place  at  the  head  of  novelists ;  Prescott's  "  Ferdinand  and 
Isabella,"  "  Conquest  of  Mexico,"  and  "  Philip  II.,"  had  proved 
him  a  master  of  historical  composition ;  and  Bancroft  had  begun 
our  one  great  National  History.  In  other,  also,  than  purely  lit 
erary  fields  was  this  period  especially  active.  Albert  Barnes  in 
Biblical  research  and  commentary ;  Agassiz  in  natural  history ; 
Henry  in  electricity  ;  Silliman  in  chemistry ;  Hall  and  Dana  in 
geology ;  and  many  other  authors  and  scientific  men,  contributed 
to  human  knowledge  with  a  prodigality  that  seemed  to  leave 
small  gleanings  for  those  who  were  to  follow. 

What  is  known  as  the  "  Manifest  Destiny  "  of  our  country,  i.  e., 
the  possession  and  control  of  the  whole  American  continent,  be- 


468  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.        [1850-1. 

came  a  favorite  theme  with  the  rising  generation  of  politicians. 
Cuba  especially,  said  they,  should  belong  to  the  United  States. 
They  imagined  that  the  people  of  the  "  ever  faithful  isle  "  were 
anxious  for  annexation,  and  that  only  a  demonstration  was  neces 
sary  to  induce  the  Cubans  to  rise  tumultuously  and  throw  off  the 
Spanish  yoke.  As  the  natural  outcropping  of  this  mistaken  idea, 
a  filibustering  expedition  was  formed  at  New  Orleans.  About  six 
hundred  adventurers  sailed  under  the  command  of  General  Lopez, 
disguised,  however,  as  emigrants  bound  for  Chagres.  They  landed 
at  Cardenas  on  the  iQth  of  May,  1850,  defeated  the  Spanish  troops, 
and  captured  the  governor  and  his  palace.  But  Lopez,  disap 
pointed  in  not  receiving  any  accessions  to  his  numbers,  and  un 
able  to  hold  that  which  he  had  won,  was  glad  to  escape  with  some 
of  his  followers,  leaving  the  rest  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the 
Spanish  authorities.  The  United  States  promptly  disavowed  the 
attempt.  The  next  year,  Lopez,  with  four  hundred  and  eighty 
men,  landed  on  the  northern  shore  of  Cuba.  His  little  army  was 
soon  scattered.  He  was  hunted  down  by  blood-hounds,  cap 
tured,  and  garroted. 

In  1850,  the  world-famous  Swedish  singer,  Jenny  Lind,  ar 
rived  in  America  on  the  Atlantic,  one  of  the  Collins  steamers, 
an  American  line  that  had  just  been  established.  On  the  I2th  of 
September,  she  gave  her  opening  concert  at  Castle  Garden,  New 
York,  the  receipts  being  about  thirty  thousand  dollars.  The  fact 
is  significant,  since  she  was  the  first  of  that  constantly-increasing 
number  of  foreign  vocalists  who  so  largely  promote  a  taste  for 
musical  culture  among  our  people. 

Charles  Sumner  of  Massachusetts  first  took  his  seat  in  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States  in  1851.  Already  widely  known  as 
a  scholar  and  philanthropist,  he  at  once  took  a  foremost  rank  in 
the  councils  of  the  nation. 

In  April  of  this  year  the  Erie  Railway  was  opened.  At  the 
commencement  of  the  enterprise,  the  State  of  New  York  loaned 
the  company  bonds  to  the  amount  of  three  million  dollars.  A  sub 
sequent  act  relieved  the  road  from  their  payment  on  condition  that 
a  single  track  should  be  completed  and  engines  passed  over  it 
from  the  Hudson  River  to  Lake  Erie  before  the  middle  of  May, 
1851.  A  train  having  on  board  the  directors  went  from  New 
York  to  Dunkirk,  four  hundred  and  seventy  miles,  April  28th  and 
29th,  thus  releasing  the  road  from  its  obligation,  and  virtually 
making  its  earnings  three  million  dollars  for  two  days. 


1851-5.]  FILLMORE'S    ADMINISTRATION.  469 

On  the  4th  of  July,  the  corner-stone  of  the  extension  of  the 
Capitol  at  Washington  was  laid  by  President  Fillmore,  with  ap 
propriate  and  imposing  ceremonies,  Daniel  Webster  delivering 
the  oration.  The  cost  of  the  building  when  completed  was  over 
twelve  million  dollars. 

The  return  of  the  Advance  and  Rescue  in  the  fall  excited  a 
world-wide  interest.  These  vessels  had  been  sent  out  by  Mr. 
Henry  Grinnell  of  New  York,  a  year  and  a  half  before,  to  search 
for  Sir  John  Franklin.  The  party  had  undergone  great  hardship 
and  peril,  but  had  not  lost  a  life.  To  the  regret  of  all,  the  quest 
had  been  unsuccessful.  This  expedition  made  known  to  the  pub 
lic  the  name  of  Dr.  E.  K.  Kane,  who  had  acted  as  its  surgeon,  a 
young  man  whose  patient  investigations,  intelligence,  and  high 
culture  received  the  praise  of  all  who  read  the  delightful  Narra 
tive  which  he  published.  Principally  through  his  enthusiasm,  an 
expedition  was  fitted  out  for  him  by  Mr.  Grinnell,  which  sailed 
from  New  York  May  30,  1853,  and  did  not  return  until  October 
n,  1855.  He  failed  in  the  main  object  of  his  search,  but  discov 
ered  what  was  supposed  to  be  an  Open  Polar  Sea. 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  1851,  there  arrived  upon  our  shores 
the  distinguished  Hungarian  exile,  Louis  Kossuth.  He  was 
received  at  New  York  with  honors  such  as  had  been  paid  to  no 
foreigner  since  the  time  of  Lafayette.  The  people  everywhere 
welcomed  him  as  the  exponent  of  European  democracy,  and 
thronged  to  hear  his  impassioned  appeals  in  behalf  of  his  native 
land.  He  secured  about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  with 
which  he  returned.  Events  not  favoring  a  political  revolution,  he 
made  himself  comfortable,  it  is  said,  with  our  patriotic  contri 
butions. 

As  to  the  United  States  China  opened  first  her  closed  ports 
and  doors,  so  was  it  with  her  neighbor,  Japan.  The  detention 
in  captivity  of  our  sailors  shipwrecked  on  its  inhospitable  shores 
demanded  relief.  A  fleet  was  accordingly  sent  to  Japan,  under 
the  command  of  Commodore  Perry,  a  brother  of  the  hero  of 
Lake  Erie.  In  the  summer  of  1853,  his  vessels  entered  the  port 
of  Yeddo,  the  first  steamers  that  had  ever  floated  on  Japanese 
waters.  After  great  embarrassments,  he  negotiated  a  treaty 
which  secured  for  American  merchants  two  ports  of  entry. 

The  last  year  of  Fillmore's  administration  was  marked  by  the 
death  of  two  of  our  most  illustrious  citizens.  Henry  Clay  died 
June  29,  1852,  aged  seventy-five.  To  the  very  last,  his  efforts 


4/0 


CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES. 


[1852. 


ASHLAND,  THE  HOME  OF  HENRY  CLAY. 


were  directed  to  the  preservation  of  the  Union  and  to  offices  of 
peace  and  good-will.  His  cordial  manner,  his  splendid  personal 
presence,  the  magnetism  of  his  oratory,  and  the  fascination  of  his 
conversation  had  made  him  more  beloved  than  any  public  man 
our  country  has  ever  seen.  His  death  was  taken  home  to  the 
hearts  of  the  people  as  if  he  were  a  member  of  each  household. 
Calhoun  had  died  two  years  before,  and  Daniel  Webster,  the 
last  of  the  great  trio,  followed  Clay  in  less  than  four  months. 

The  feeling  of  the  nation 
at  the  loss  of  Webster,  the 
grandest  orator  and  the 
greatest  statesman  of  his 
age,  is  well  expressed  in  the 
beautiful  words  of  Everett : 
"It  is  all  over!  The  last 
struggle  is  past ;  the  strug 
gle,  the  strife,  the  anxiety, 
the  pain,  the  turmoil  of  life 
is  over ;  the  tale  is  told,  and 
finished  and  ended.  It  is  told  and  done ;  and  the  seal  of  death  is 
set  upon  it.  Henceforth,  that  great  life,  marked  at  every  step; 
chronicled  in  journals ;  waited  on  by  crowds ;  told  to  the  whole 
country  by  telegraphic  tongues  of  flame — that  great  life  shall  be 
but  a  history,  a  biography, '  a  tale  told  in  an  evening  tent.'  In  the 
tents  of  life,  it  shall  long  be  recited  ;  but  no  word  shall  reach  the 
ear  of  that  dead  sleeper  by  the  ocean  shore.  Fitly  will  he  rest 
there.  Like  the  granite  rock,  like  the  heaving  ocean,  was  his 
mind!  Let  the  rock  guard  his  rest;  let  the  ocean  sound  his 
dirge !  " 

The  Democratic  party  met  in  convention  at  Baltimore  June 
ist,  and  nominated  for  President,  General  Franklin  Pierce  of  New 
Hampshire,  and  for  Vice-President,  William  R.  King  of  Alabama. 
It  passed  the  celebrated  rule  which  occasioned  so  much  disturb 
ance  at  subsequent  conventions,  that  two-thirds  of  all  the  dele 
gates  present  were  necessary  to  a  nomination.  The  contest  for 
the  selection  of  candidates  lasted  four  days,  and  the  forty-ninth 
ballot  was  taken  before  a  result  was  reached. 

The  Whig  convention,  also  held  at  Baltimore  in  June,  was  the 
last  one  of  that  party.  It  nominated  for  President,  General  Win- 
field  Scott,  and  for  Vice-President,  William  A.  Graham  of  North 
Carolina.  The  other  candidates  were  Daniel  Webster  and  Millard 


1853.]  PIERCE'S    ADMINISTRATION.  471 

Fillmore.  Webster,  when  the  result  was  announced  to  him, 
replied,  "  Feathers  and  tar,"  the  former  alluding  to  the  love  of 
display  and  decoration  which  was  popularly  supposed  to  be  one 
of  the  characteristics  of  General  Scott,  and  the  latter  to  the  chief 
product  of  the  State  from  which  the  candidate  for  Vice-President 
came. 

Both  parties  pledged  themselves  distinctly  to  the  compro 
mise  measures  of  1850.  The  "  Free  Soilers  "  held  a  convention 
at  Pittsburg,  and  put  in  nomination  for  the  presidency,  John  P. 
Hale  of  New  Hampshire,  and  for  the  vice-presidency,  George  W. 
Julian  of  Indiana.  The  Democratic  ticket  was  successful,  Pierce 
receiving  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  out  of  two  hundred  and 
ninety-six  votes. 

Franklin  Pierce  was  inaugurated  fourteenth  President  of  the 
United  States,  March  4,  1853.  He  was  in  the  fiftieth  year  of  his 
age,  being  the  youngest  person  yet  chosen  to  that  office.  He  had 
occupied  no  very  prominent  place  in  American  politics,  and  a 
significant  query  of  the  time  was,  "Who  is  Franklin  Pierce?" 
He  was  born  at  Hillsborough,  N.  H.,  November  23,  1804.  He 
was  a  graduate  of  Bowdoin  College  and  a  lawyer  by  profession. 
He  had  served  his  State  for  four  years  in  her  legislature,  two 
terms  in  the  House  of  Representatives,  and  one  term  in  the 
Senate.  During  the  Mexican  war,  he  fought  with  credit  under 
Scott,  being  wounded  at  Churubusco. 

March  7th,  the  Senate,  in  special  session,  confirmed  the  cabinet 
appointments.  William  L.  Marcy  of  New  York  became  Secre 
tary  of  State ;  James  Guthrie  of  Kentucky,  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury ;  Robert  McClelland  of  Michigan,  Secretary  of  the 
Interior;  Jefferson  Davis  of  Mississippi,  Secretary  of  War; 
James  C.  Dobbin  of  North  Carolina,  Secretary  of  the  Navy; 
James  Campbell  of  Pennsylvania,  Postmaster-General ;  and  Caleb 
Gushing  of  Massachusetts,  Attorney-General. 

Shortly  after  his  inauguration,  the  President  attended,  July 
i4th,  the  opening  exercises  of  the  World's  Fair  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  in  New  York.  It  was  the  first  exhibition  of  the  kind  ever 
held  in  this  country.  The  display  of  articles  was  creditable  and 
the  attendance  was  large,  but  the  expenses  were  so  great  as  to 
swallow  up  the  entire  investment  of  the  stockholders.  The  end 
was  most  disastrous.  In  October,  1858,  the  building  was  burned, 
destroying  much  property,  especially  many  valuable  works  of 
art,  among  which  were  the  colossal  group  by  Thorwaldsen  of 


472  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.        [1853-6. 

"  Christ  and  his  Apostles,"  and  the  statue  by  Kiss  of  the  "Amazon 
and  the  Tiger." 

A  difficulty  arose  with  Austria  during  this  year  concerning 
Martin  Koszta,  a  Hungarian  who  had  fled  to  this  country  and 
declared  his  intention  to  become  an  American  citizen.  Returning 
to  Smyrna  on  business,  he  was  arrested  and  carried  on  board  an 
Austrian  vessel.  Captain  Ingraham,  of  the  American  sloop-of- 
war  St.  Louis,  happened  to  arrive  in  port  and  learning  the 
facts,  demanded  his  instant  surrender.  Koszta  was  given  up,  but 
a  lengthy  diplomatic  correspondence  ensued  with  the  Austrian 
government.  The  result  was  to  evince  the  determination  of  the 
United  States  to  defend  its  citizens  from  insult  in  every  part  of 
the  world. 

The  map  used  in  making  the  treaty  with  Mexico  proved 
to  be  imperfect,  and  a  misunderstanding  arose  concerning  the 
Mesilla  valley,  which  was  claimed  by  both  governments.  A 
new  treaty  was  thereupon  negotiated  with  Mexico  by  James 
Gadsden  of  South  Carolina,  by  which  the  United  States  secured 
the  coveted  territory  on  the  payment  of  ten  million  dollars. 

The  great  event  of  this  administration  was  the  passage,  in  May, 

1854,  of  a  bill  presented  by  Stephen  A.  Douglas  of  Illinois,  to 
organize  the  Territories  of  Kansas  and  Nebraska.     It  involved  a 
principle  which  he  termed  "  Popular  or  Squatter  Sovereignty," 
by  which  a  new  State  should  decide  for  itself  whether  or  not 
slavery  should  exist  within  its  borders. 

The  sectional  excitement,  which  had  lulled  for  a  time,  flamed 
out  anew.  During  subsequent  discussions  in  the  Senate,  Sumner 
made  some  reflections  upon  Senator  Butler  of  South  Carolina, 
and  after  adjournment  on  the  22d  of  May,  1856,  Preston  S. 
Brooks,  a  member  of  the  House  and  a  nephew  of  Butler's, 
assaulted  Sumner  in  his  seat,  inflicting  severe  injuries.  The 
North  declared  the  bill  a  repudiation  of  the  Missouri  Compro 
mise.  The  South,  with  the  Douglas  men,  averred  that  the 
Compromise  of  1850  had  superseded  the  older  act.  Both  sides 
poured  parties  of  armed  emigrants  into  Kansas.  A  society  incor 
porated  by  the  legislature  of  Massachusetts  sent  thither,  during 

1855,  one  thousand  three  hundred  persons.     Soon  white-topped 
wagons,  carrying  the  families  of  emigrants,  with  all  their  posses 
sions,  went  streaming  in  long  trains  over  the  prairie. 

The  Territory  was  thus  rapidly  settled.  One  who  visited 
Leavenworth  in  1854,  described  the  scene  as  follows:  " There 


1854.] 


PIERCE'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


473 


was  one  steam-engine,  '  naked  as  when  it  was  born,'  but  at  work, 
sawing  out  its  clothes.  There  were  four  tents,  all  on  one  street, 
a  barrel  of  whiskey  under  a  tree,  and  a  pot  on  a  pole  over  the  fire. 
Under  another  tree,  a  type-setter  had  his  case  before  him,  and 
was  at  work  on  the  first  number  of  the  new  paper ;  and  within  a 


i>    \ 
J&3 

i/n 


SCENES   IN   KANSAS. 


frame,  without  a  board  on  side 
or  roof,  was  the  editor's  desk 
and  sanctum.  When  we  re 
turned,  we  saw  a  '  notice,'  stat 
ing  that  the  editor  had  removed 
his  office  from  under  the  elm 
tree  to  the  corner  of  '  Broad 
way  and  the  Levee.'  This 

Broadway  was,  at  that  time,  much  broader  than  the  streets  of  old 
Babylon ;  for,  with  the  exception  of  the  fort,  there  was  probably 
not  a  house  on  either  side  for  thirty  miles."  Lawrence  was  a  city 
of  tents.  Two  Massachusetts  women  had  opened  a  boarding- 
house  upon  the  hill.  "  In  the  open  air,  on  some  logs  of  wood, 
two  rough  boards  were  laid  across  for  a  table,  and  on  wash-tubs, 
and  kegs,  and  blocks,  they  and  their  boarders  were  seated  at  their 
meal." 

Meanwhile  disturbances  had  occurred  at  the  elections.     Mis 
souri,  which  lay  neighbor  to  the  scene,  had  sent  over  men  who 


474  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.        [1855-9. 

simply  voted  and  then  returned  across  the  river.  As  the  result,  a 
pro-slavery  government  was  organized  at  Lecompton.  The  free- 
State  inhabitants  refusing  to  take  part  in  this,  established  an  anti- 
slavery  one  at  Topeka.  Soon  there  were  two  sets  of  authorities. 
Civil  war  ensued.  "  Jay-hawkers  "  harried  the  country.  Murders 
were  frequent.  No  one  dared  to  travel  a  public  highway  without 
an  escort.  The  exploits  of  the  famous  partisan  leaders,  John 
Brown,  Montgomery,  Hamilton,  Law,  and  others,  make  a  page  of 
our  history  which  one  would  gladly  pass  over  in  silence.  The 
deeds  of  horror  recorded  therein  give  a  fearful  import  to  the 
phrase  of  the  times — "  Bleeding  Kansas."  Thus,  May  19,  1858, 
Hamilton,  with  a  small  party,  entered  the  little  town  of  Trading 
Post  and  carried  off  nine  persons.  Taking  these  into  a  ravine 
called  Marais  des  Cygnes,  he  ranged  them  in  a  line  and  gave  the 
word  for  his  men  to  fire.  Five  of  the  prisoners  were  killed  in 
stantly.  The  others  feigned  death,  and  so  escaped. 

Within  five  years,  six  governors — Reeder,  Shannon,  Geary, 
Walker,  Denver,  and  Medary — attempted  the  difficult  task  of 
restoring  order  in  this  Territory.  Finally,  at  Wyandotte,  July  29, 
1859,  Kansas  adopted  a  free  constitution,  and  during  the  admin 
istration  of  Buchanan  was  admitted  into  the  Union. 

In  1855,  William  Walker  conducted  a  party  of  fillibusters 
from  San  Francisco  to  Nicaragua,  where  a  rebellion  was  in 
progress.  There  he  artfully  secured  his  election  as  president. 
Deceived  by  his  success,  hundreds  joined  his  standard.  But  his 
party  was  eventually  overpowered,  many  of  his  men  died  of  dis 
ease,  and,  in  1857,  tne  miserable  remnant  was  brought  back  by 
English  and  American  vessels. 

There  had  arisen  a  violent  prejudice  against  foreign-born  citi 
zens,  and  especially  Catholics.  Numerous  collisions  took  place  in 
consequence.  In  New  York,  a  ruffian  named  Baker  killed  another 
called  Poole.  The  murdered  man  being  an  American,  and  his 
assailant  a  foreigner,  the  event  was  lifted  into  national  import 
ance.  The  feeling  drifted  into  politics,  and  the  "  Know-Noth 
ing  "  organization — a  secret  society — was  formed.  Its  party  cries, 
"  Put  none  but  Americans  on  guard ! "  "  Let  Americans  rule 
America !  "  caught  the  popular  ear.  It  carried  the  elections  in 
nearly  all  the  Northern  States,  and  in  the  spring  of  1855  it  was 
the  only  opposition  to  Henry  A.  Wise,  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  governor  in  Virginia.  In  the  Old  Dominion,  however,  it  was 
so  thoroughly  defeated,  that  its  prestige  began  at  once  to  wane. 


1856-7.] 


BUCHANAN'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


475 


The  contest  for  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives  hav 
ing  lasted  for  two  months,  with  one  hundred  and  thirty-three 
indecisive  ballots,  a  plurality  rule  was  agreed  upon,  February  2, 
1856,  under  which  Nathaniel  P.  Banks  of  Massachusetts  was 
elected.  He  had  been  a  Democrat,  but  was  then  an  Anti-Slavery 
American  or  "  Know-Nothing. " 

The  Democrats  in  convention  at  Cincinnati  nominated  for 
President,  James  Buchanan  of  Pennsylvania,  and  for  Vice-Presi 
dent,  John  C.  Breckenridge  of 
Kentucky.  The  Americans  or 
Know-Nothings  put  in  the  field 
for  President,  Millard  Fillmore, 
and  for  Vice-President,  Andrew 
J.  Donelson  of  Tennessee.  Both 
of  these  parties,  in  their  plat 
forms,  pledged  themselves  to  sus 
tain  the  Compromise  measures  of 
1850  and  the  subsequent  legisla 
tion  of  1854. 

All  the  opponents  of  slavery 
united  under  the  name  of  Repub 
licans.  They  held  a  convention 
at  Philadelphia,  June  i/th,  and 
selected  as  their  candidate  for 
President,  John  C.  Fremont  of 
California,  and  for  Vice-President,  William  L.  Dayton  of  New 
Jersey. 

The  election  resulted  in  favor  of  Buchanan  and  Breckenridge. 
On  the  popular  vote,  they  had  a  minority  of  nearly  four  hundred 
thousand,  but  in  the  electoral  college,  a  clear  majority  of  sixty 
votes.  The  Republican  ticket  received  a  popular  vote  of  one 
million  three  hundred  thousand. 

James  Buchanan  was  inaugurated  the  fifteenth  President  of 
the  United  States,  March  4,  1857.  He  was  born  at  Stony  Batter, 
Pennsylvania,  April  22,  1791  ;  was  graduated  at  Dickinson  Col 
lege,  and  soon  after  prepared  for  the  bar.  From  earliest  man 
hood  he  had  been  in  public  life,  serving  as  member  of  Congress, 
Senator,  minister  to  Russia  and  to  England,  and  as  Secretary  of 
State.  He  belonged  to  the  old  school  of  men  and  politicians  ;  and 
his  age,  his  varied  experience,  and  acknowledged  abilities  led  the 
people  to  entertain  high  hopes  of  the  incoming  administration. 


JAMES   BUCHANAN. 


4/6  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.         [1857-8. 

The  cabinet  was  composed  as  follows :  Lewis  Cass  of  Michi 
gan,  Secretary  of  State ;  Howell  Cobb  of  Georgia,  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury;  John  B.  Floyd  of  Virginia,  Secretary  of  War; 
Isaac  Toucey  of  Connecticut,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Jacob 
Thompson  of  Mississippi,  Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  Jeremiah  S. 
Black  of  Pennsylvania,  Attorney-General ;  and  Aaron  V.  Brown 
of  Tennessee,  Postmaster-General. 

A  difficulty  having  arisen  in  Utah,  owing  to  the  unwillingness 
of  the  Mormons  to  submit  to  the  decisions  of  the  Federal  judge, 
in  1857,  Colonel  Albert  Sydney  Johnston,  with  a  sufficient  force, 
was  sent  thither  to  maintain  the  laws  of  the  United  States.  Be 
fore  the  arrival  of  the  troops  the  matter  was  satisfactorily  ad 
justed,  the  governor  appointed  by  the  President  being  accepted. 
The  army  was  not  withdrawn,  however,  for  two  years  there 
after. 

The  famous  Dred  Scott  decision  at  this  time  added  fresh  fuel 
to  the  anti-slavery  agitation.  Dred  Scott  was  a  slave  belonging 
to  a  surgeon  in  the  army,  who  had  taken  him  and  his  family 
to  reside  at  Fort  Snelling  and  afterward  returned  into  Missouri. 
Suit  was  brought  for  his  freedom  on  the  ground  of  his  having 
gone  into  territory  where  slavery  was  prohibited.  Judge  Taney 
affirmed  that  negroes  were  not  citizens,  and  that  Congress  had  no 
power  under  the  Constitution  to  forbid  slavery  in  the  Territories. 
His  decision  contained  the  expression  that  "  negroes  have  no  rights 
which  the  white  man  is  bound  to  respect,"  on  which  the  changes 
were  rung  during  the  ensuing  campaign  with  great  effect. 

Minnesota,  the  thirty  -  second  State,  was  admitted  into  the 
Union  May  n,  1858.  It  was  so  called  from  its  principal  river, 
which  bears  the  Indian  name  for  cloud-colored,  or  sky-tinted 
water.  In  1680,  Louis  Hennepin,  a  Franciscan  priest,  with  some  fur- 
traders,  floated  down  the  Illinois  river  in  a  bark  canoe,  and  then 
ascended  the  Upper  Mississippi  as  far  as  the  Great  Falls,  to  which 
he  reverently  gave  the  name  of  St.  Anthony.  The  region  was  not 
thoroughly  explored  until  1766,  when  Captain  Jonathan  Carver 
of  Connecticut  passed  a  winter  among  the  Indians  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Minnesota,  near  what  is  now  New  Ulm.  This  Territory 
belonged  to  the  Louisiana  purchase,  and  followed  its  fortunes. 
Fort  Snelling  was  built  in  the  summer  of  1819.  In  1837,  lumber 
ing  was  commenced  on  the  St.  Croix.  The  first  building  on  the 
site  of  St.  Paul  was  erected  in  1838.  The  Territory  was  organ 
ized  in  1849.  After  the  cession,  in  1851,  of  the  lands  held  by  the 


1859.]  BUCHANAN'S  ADMINISTRATION.  477 

Sioux  Indians,  there  came  a  large  influx  of  emigrants,  and  the 
country  was  rapidly  settled  and  developed. 

Oregon,  the  thirty-third  State  of  the  Union,  was  admitted 
February  14,  1859.  The  name  is  supposed  to  have  originated 
from  the  term  orcgano,  wild  marjoram,  which  grows  profusely  on 
the  coast.  It  was  originally  applied  to  all  the  territory  on  the 
Pacific  between  42°  and  54°  40'  north  latitude.  By  the  treaty 
with  England  in  1846,  the  northern  boundary  was  cut  down 
to  the  49th  degree.  The  Territories  of  Washington  and  Idaho 
were  afterward  carved  out  of  its  extensive  bounds.  In  1792,  Cap 
tain  Robert  Gray  sailed  up  the  beautiful  river  which  still  bears 
the  name  of  one  of  his  vessels,  the  Columbia.  The  famous  expe 
dition  of  Lewis  and  Clark  in  1804  brought  back  the  first  intelli 
gent  account  of  the  wonders  of  the  Pacific  coast.  In  1811,  the 
American  Fur  Company,  of  which  John  Jacob  Astor  was  presi 
dent,  founded  Astoria,  the  first  settlement  in  the  State.  Emi 
gration  set  but  slowly  into  the  Territory  until,  in  1839,  a  band 
of  Methodist  missionaries  settled  in  the  Willamette  Valley. 

In  1850,  Congress  passed  the  Donation  Law,  which  gave  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  to  every  bona  fide  settler,  and 
the  same  to  his  wife,  on  condition  of  occupying  the  land  before 
December  ist,  and  remaining  upon  it  four  years.  An  additional 
act  gave  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  to  one  settling  before 
December  i,  1853.  Eight  thousand  claims  were  registered  under 
these  laws.  Marriageable  daughters  were  probably  never  in  such 
demand  as  in  Oregon  during  those  three  years.  Girls  even  of 
fourteen  were  eagerly  sought  out,  and  for  some  time  thereafter 
the  Territory  had  a  large  proportion  of  very  young  wives  and 
mothers. 

In  the  year  1859,  an  event  occurred  which,  according  to  the 
stand-point  one  occupies,  appears  a  deed  of  philanthropy  or 
the  act  of  a  lunatic.  John  Brown  had  been  prominent  in  the 
guerilla  warfare  of  Kansas,  acquiring  the  title  of  "  Ossawattomie," 
from  a  desperate  defence  which  he  made  at  that  place  against  a 
party  ten  times  stronger  than  his  own.  He  had  long  held  the 
idea  that  he  was  the  destined  liberator  of  the  Southern  slaves. 
Renting  a  house  about  six  miles  from  Harper's  Ferry,  he  col 
lected  guns  and  pikes,  and  prepared  for  his  fool-hardy  adventure. 
In  the  night  of  October  i6th,  with  twenty-one  men,  he  seized  the 
arsenal  at  the  Ferry,  and  arrested  the  chief  inhabitants  of  the  town 
as  hostages  for  the  safety  of  his  command.  His  plan  was  to  arm 


4/8  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.  [1860. 

the  slaves  who  should  rally  to  his  aid,  and,  taking  refuge  in  the 
mountains,  to  maintain  a  partisan  warfare.  But,  like  Lopez  in  his 
descent  upon  Cuba,  he  found  those  whom  he  had  come  to  aid 
loath  to  rise  at  a  mere  demonstration  of  force.  Not  a  negro  joined 
him.  The  militia  rapidly  assembled.  Two  days  after,  a  body  of 
United  States  marines  attacked  the  arsenal.  Brown  defended 
himself  to  the  last.  "  With  one  son  dead  by  his  side,  and  another 
shot  through,  he  felt  the  pulse  of  his  dying  son  with  one  hand  and 
held  his  rifle  with  the  other."  Ten  of  his  party  were  killed  and  he 
received  six  wounds.  He  finally  surrendered,  was  tried  for  trea 
son,  condemned,  and  executed.  On  the  way  to  the  gallows,  he 
stopped  to  kiss  a  little  slave-child. 

It  shows  the  feverish  state  of  the  public  mind,  and  the  positive 
feeling  of  enmity  which  existed  between  the  two  sections,  that  in 
the  North  a  certain  glamour  was  thrown  about  the  character  of 
Brown  and  his  violation  of  law  and  destruction  of  life ;  while  at 
the  South  it  was  commonly  believed  that  this  was  only  the  first 
outcropping  of  a  general  plot  to  incite  insurrection  among  the 
slaves. 

It  was  all,  however,  but  an  indication  of  a  coming  tempest,  and 
the  John  Brown  raid  assumes  some  character  as  having  been  an 
omen  such  as  trouble  and  conflict,  since  the  world  began,  have 
always  sent  out  in  advance  of  their  definite  appearance. 

The  Republican  party,  at  its  convention  at  Chicago,  May  i6th, 
nominated  for  the  presidency,  Abraham  Lincoln  of  Illinois,  and 
for  the  vice-presidency,  Hannibal  Hamlin  of  Maine.  It  held  that 
Congress  should  prohibit  slavery  in  the  Territories.  The  "Amer 
icans,"  who  still  sustained  an  organization,  under  the  name  of 
the  "Constitutional  Union"  party,  met  at  Baltimore  May  loth, 
and  put  in  nomination  for  the  presidency,  John  Bell  of  Tennessee, 
and  for  the  vice-presidency,  Edward  Everett  of  Massachusetts. 
Its  platform  was,  "  The  Constitution  of  the  country,  the  Union  of 
the  States,  and  the  enforcement  of  the  laws."  The  Democratic 
delegates  assembled  at  Charleston  April  23d.  The  session  was 
continued  until  May  ist,  when  there  had  been  fifty-seven  ballots 
cast  and  no  choice  made.  A  portion  of  the  convention,  dissatis 
fied  with  one  of  the  resolutions  of  the  platform  approving 
"  squatter  sovereignty,"  seceded,  and  organizing  anew,  adjourned 
to  meet  at  Richmond,  Va.,  on  the  nth  of  June,  where  it  chose 
for  the  presidency,  John  C.  Breckenridge  of  Kentucky,  and  for  the 
vice-presidency,  Joseph  Lane  of  Oregon.  Those  who  remained 


1860-1.] 


LINCOLN'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


479 


adjourned  to  Baltimore,  where,  on  the  i8th  of  June,  they  nomi 
nated  for  president,  Stephen  A.  Douglas  of  Illinois,  and  for  vice- 
president,  Herschel  V.  Johnson  of  Georgia.  The  former  wing  of 
the  party  believed  that  Congress  should  protect  the  rights  of 
slaveholders  in  the  Territories,  and  the  latter  that  slavery  or  no 
slavery  was  a  matter  which  concerned  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Territory  only. 

The  election  resulted  in  favor  of  the  Republican  ticket.  The 
successful  candidates  received,  however,  a  minority  both  of  the 
electoral  and  popular  votes,  the  popular  vote  for  Lincoln  and 
Hamlin  being  one  million  eight  hundred  and  fifty-seven  thousand 
six  hundred  and  ten,  and  for  the  other  three  tickets,  two  million 
eight  hundred  and  four  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty. 

The  selection  of  a  "  sectional  President,"  as  Lincoln  was  called, 
was  the  signal  for  immediate  action.  The  leaders  at  the  South 
had  always  held  to  the  doctrine  of 
State  rights,  maintaining  that  the 
Union  was  only  an  association  which 
could  be  dissolved  at  pleasure.  A 
convention  was  at  once  called  in 
South  Carolina,  which  passed  an 
ordinance  of  secession  December 
24,  1860.  The  other  cotton  States 
rapidly  followed.  Mississippi  enact 
ed  a  similar  ordinance  on  the  gih 
of  January,  1861  ;  Florida  and  Ala 
bama  on  the  nth;  Georgia,  the 
1 9th ;  Louisiana,  the  26th ;  and  Texas 
on  the  ist  of  February. 

A  Peace  Congress,  consisting  of 
delegates  from  twenty-one  States,  assembled  at  Washington  Feb 
ruary  4th,  ex-President  Tyler  being  chosen  chairman.  The  use- 
lessness  of  all  efforts  at  reconciliation  was  shown  by  the  fact  that 
on  that  very  day  a  convention  was  held  at  Montgomery,  com 
prising  delegates  from  the  seven  seceded  States.  There  they 
entered  into  a  new  compact,  which  they  called  "  The  Confederate 
States  of  America,"  and  established  a  provisional  government, 
choosing  Jefferson  Davis  of  Mississippi  for  president,  and  Alex 
ander  H.  Stephens  of  Georgia  for  vice-president.  The  Federal 
property  in  the  several  seceded  States  was  seized,  and  every  ar 
rangement  perfected  for  carrying  on  a  separate  government. 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


480  CULMINATION    OF    DOMESTIC    DIFFICULTIES.  [1861. 

Ex-President  Pierce  had  assured  Davis  that  if  a  disruption  of 
the  Union  should  come,  the  fighting  would  not  be  along  Mason 
and  Dixon's  line  merely,  but  in  the  streets  of  northern  cities, 
between  the  friends  and  the  enemies  of  the  South.  It  was  a  preva 
lent  opinion,  as  expressed  by  President  Buchanan,  that,  while  a 
State  had  no  right  to  go  out  of  the  Union,  the  government  could 
not  use  coercive  measures  to  keep  it  in,  if,  in  its  sovereign  capacity, 
it  should  decide  to  go. 

Fort  Pickens,  at  Pensacola,  and  Fort  Sumter,  in  Charleston 
harbor,  were  still  held  by  the  United  States.  The  former  was 
saved  to  the  North  by  the  promptness  of  Lieutenant  Slemmer, 
and  the  latter,  by  Major  Anderson.  Both  of  these  officers,  at  the 
first  approach  of  danger,  had  abandoned  their  weaker  fortifica 
tions,  and  thrown  themselves  with  all  their  forces  into  strong 
positions,  where  there  was  a  chance  for  defence.  An  attempt  was 
made  to  send  supplies  to  Fort  Sumter,  but  the  steamer  "  Star 
of  the  West,"  which  was  conveying  them,  was  fired  upon  by 
the  Confederates  and  driven  back. 

The  whole  future  of  the  country  depended  upon  the  policy 
and  acts  of  the  incoming  administration,  and  its  first  step  was 
awaited  with  almost  breathless  interest. 


FORT  SUMTER. 


PART  IV. 


"  We  prayed  and  hoped;  but  still,  with  awe, 
The  coming  of  the  sword  we  saw  ; 
We  heard  the  nearing  steps  of  doom. 
We  saw  the  shade  of  things  to  come. 
In  grief,  which  they  alone  can  feel 
Who  from  a  mother's  wrong  appeal, 
With  blended  lines  of  fear  and  hope 
We  cast  our  country's  horoscope. 
For  still  within  her  house  of  life, 
We  marked  the  lurid  sign  of  strife. 
And,  poisoning  and  embittering  all, 
We  saw  the  star  of  Wormwood  fall" — WHITTIER. 


FMST 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

OF   THE   CIVIL 


INCOLN  left  his  home  in 
Springfield,  Illinois,  for 
Washington,  February  11, 
1861.  His  parting  words  to 
the  people  among  whom  he 
had  lived  so  long  and  who  knew 
him  best,  were  full  of  solemnity : 
"  My  friends,  I  cannot  sufficiently 
express  to  you  the  sadness  I  feel  at  this 
moment.  To  you  I  owe  all  that  I  am.  Here  I  have  lived  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century ;  here  my  children  were  born ;  here 
one  of  them  lies  buried.  I  know  not  how  soon  I  shall  see  you 
again.  A  duty  devolves  upon  me  perhaps  greater  than  that 
which  has  devolved  upon  any  man  since  the  days  of  Wash 
ington.  He  never  could  have  succeeded  except  for  the  aid  of 


484  FIRST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [""me?.2' 

Divine  Providence,  upon  which  he  at  all  times  relied.  I  hope 
that  you,  my  friends,  will  pray  that  I  may  receive  that  Divine 
assistance,  without  which  I  cannot  succeed,  but  with  which  suc 
cess  is  certain." 

On  the  anniversary  of  Washington's  birthday  he  stopped  at 
Philadelphia  to  raise  a  flag  over  Independence  Hall.  It  was  an 
nounced  that  he  would  proceed  on  the  morrow,  but  the  excited 
condition  of  the  populace  in  Baltimore  led  many  to  fear  an  at 
tempt  at  assassination.  He,  therefore,  secretly  took  the  night 
train  the  same  eve,  and  reached  the  capital  early  the  next  morn 
ing.  The  inauguration  ceremonies  on  the  4th  of  March  passed  off 
quietly  under  the  protection  of  troops  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 
General  Scott.  The  President,  in  his  address,  asserted  that  the 
United  States  is  not  a  League,  but  a  Union ;  denied  the  right  of 
secession  ;  and  declared  his  determination  to  occupy  all  the  places 
belonging  to  the  government,  and  to  collect  the  duties  and  the 
imposts.  The  closing  words,  read  in  the  light  of  history,  seem 
almost  prophetic  :  "  We  are  not  enemies,  but  friends.  Though 
passion  may  have  strained,  it  must  not  break  our  bonds  of  affec 
tion.  The  mystic  chords  of  memory,  stretching  from  every  battle 
field  and  patriot  grave  to  every  living  heart  and  hearthstone  all 
over  this  broad  land,  will  yet  swell  the  chorus  of  the  Union,  when 
again  touched,  as  surely  they  will  be,  by  the  better  angels  of  our 
nature." 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  born  in  Larue  county,  Kentucky,  Feb 
ruary  12,  1809.  In  1816,  his  parents  removed  to  Indiana,  settling 
in  the  forest  near  the  present  village  of  Gentry  ville.  As  Abraham 
grew  up,  he  aided  his  father  in  clearing  their  new  farm.  His 
schooling  was  comprised  within  a  single  year.  He,  however, 
diligently  read  the  few  books  he  could  secure — Robinson  Crusoe, 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  ^Esop's  Fables,  the  History  of  the  United 
States,  the  Life  of  Washington,  and  the  Statutes  of  Indiana.  At 
sixteen,  he  was  managing  a  ferry  across  the  Ohio  for  six  dollars 
per  month.  Six  feet  four  inches  in  height,  a  famous  wrestler,  a 
good  story-teller  and  stump-speaker,  he  was  already  a  marked 
character.  In  1830,  the  family  emigrated  to  Illinois,  and  erected  a 
log-house  at  the  north  fork  of  the  Sangamon.  Here  they  cleared 
fifteen  acres  of  land,  young  Lincoln  splitting  the  rails  for  the  fences. 
The  next  year,  with  some  relatives,  he  built  a  flat-boat,  and  car 
ried  a  load  of  goods  to  New  Orleans.  During  the  Black  Hawk 
War,  he  served  as  captain  of  a  company ;  at  its  close,  having  been 


March,-] 
1861.  J 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN. 


485 


LINCOLN  S   EARLY   HOME   IN   ILLINOIS. 


discharged  in  Wisconsin,  he  made  his  way  home  partly  on  foot 
and  partly  on  a  raft  down  the  Illinois  river. 

A  few  years  of  adventure  and  incident  brought  him  to  the  age 
of  twenty-five,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature.  In  tl 
body  he  remained  four  terms, 
twice  being  the  Whig  candi 
date  for  speaker.  He  studied 
law  at  night,  borrowing  books 
of  his  friends  after  office-hours. 
Admitted  to  the  bar,  he  at  once 
became  prominent.  He  was 
sent  to  Congress  in  1846,  where 
he  opposed  the  annexation  of 
Texas  and  the  war  with  Mexico. 
His  famous  "  spot  resolutions  " 
called  upon  the  President  to 
inform  the  nation  of  the  place 
where  the  Mexicans  had  "  shed 
the  blood  of  our  fellow-citizens  on  our  own  soil."  In  1858,  he 
was  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  Republican  party  in  the 
State,  being  nominated  for  United  States  Senator  in  place  of 
Stephen  A.  Douglas.  They  canvassed  the  State  together,  and 
such  was  the  ability  manifested  in  their  discussion  of  the  ques 
tions  at  issue,  that  the  debate  became  of  national  interest.  From 
that  time  Lincoln's  life  is  interwoven  with  the  history  of  the 
country. 

Lincoln  was  a  representative  of  the  masses.  For  the  first  time 
the  people  had  elected  to  the  presidential  chair  one  of  their  own 
number.  He  was  the  product  of  American  institutions.  Coming 
up  out  of  the  rude  life  of  the  frontier,  dragged  back  by  poverty 
and  social  surroundings,  he  lifted  himself  by  the  force  of  an  hon 
est  heart  and  inflexible  will  to  a  place  among  the  few  who  have 
moulded  the  national  destiny.  Genial,  sincere,  free  from  vices, 
with  a  fund  of  sense,  quick  to  read  character,,  fertile  in  resources, 
patient  of  repulse  and  injury,  and  steadfast  in  duty,  he  took  the 
helm  amid  a  tornado  that  would  have  swept  by  the  board  a 
magistrate  guided  only  by  expedients.  "  Four  years  of  battle- 
days  "  proved  him  to  be  what  the  nation  was  slow  to  perceive, 
the  man  of  his  time. 

His  first  cabinet  was  composed  of  William  H.  Seward  of  New 
York,  Secretary  of  State ;  Salmon  P.  Chase  of  Ohio,  Secretary  of 


486  FIRST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [Mari86|April> 

the  Treasury ;  Simon  Cameron  of  Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  War ; 
Gideon  Wells  of  Connecticut,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Caleb  B. 
Smith  of  Indiana,  Secretary  of  the  Interior ;  Montgomery  Blair 
of  Maryland,  Postmaster-General ;  Edward  Bates  of  Missouri, 
Attorney-General.  In  1862,  Edwin  M.  Stanton  succeeded  Mr. 
Cameron;  and  John  P.  Usher  of  Indiana,  Mr.  Smith.  In  1864, 
William  Pitt  Fessenden  of  Maine  succeeded  Mr.  Chase. 

Events  were  now  rapidly  hurrying  on  to  the  one  certain  issue, 
war.  Officers  of  the  army  and  navy  were  daily  resigning  their 
positions,  and  accepting  commissions  from  the  secession  authori 
ties.  March  12,  Forsyth  of  Alabama  and  Crawford  of  Georgia 
came  to  Washington  as  representatives  of  the  Confederate  gov 
ernment,  authorized  to  settle  amicably  the  disputed  questions. 
The  Federal  authorities  refused  to  recognize  them  officially ;  but 
Seward  was  in  frequent  communication  with  them. 

At  Washington  all  was  doubt  and  uncertainty.  There  was  no 
declaration  of  policy.  The  authorities  feared  to  act  lest  they 
should  precipitate  the  strife.  As  yet  only  the  seven  cotton  States 
had  seceded,  but  the  eight  remaining  slave  States  threatened  to  go 
out  if  coercion  were  employed.  So  the  tide  was  left  to  drift  on 
as  it  would.  There  were  no  preparations  for  war,  and  few  seemed 
to  think  an  armed  conflict  possible.  In  striking  contrast  to  this 
indecision,  the  Confederate  government  was  taking  the  most  vig 
orous  action,  gathering  troops  and  collecting  supplies.  It  had 
a  plan,  and  pursued  it  steadily.  All  the  utterances  of  its  chief 
men  indicated  a  determination  that  nothing  could  shake.  What 
they  called  the  "League  of  the  States"  was  broken,  and  they 
neither  wanted  nor  would  accept  any  mending  of  the  severed 
links.  General  Pierre  G.  T.  Beauregard,  in  command  at  Charles 
ton,  was  throwing  up  batteries  before  Sumter,  and  even  practic 
ing  his  gunners  in  getting  the  range,  the  shells  bursting  over  and 
around  its  walls. 

The  Washington  authorities,  after  a  month's  hesitation,  finally 
directed  a  fleet  to  carry  provisions  to  that  beleagured  fortress. 
This  being  announced  to  the  Confederate  government  at  Mont 
gomery,  orders  were  at  once  sent  to  General  Beauregard  to  de 
mand  of  Major  Anderson  a  surrender.  Upon  his  refusal,  fire  was 
opened  from  all  the  forts  and  batteries.  The  first  gun  of  the  war 
was  discharged  at  half-past  four  o'clock  Friday  morning,  April 
1 2th,  the  match  being  held  by  Edmund  Ruffin  of  Virginia,  a  white- 
haired  old  man  who  had  been  a  personal  friend  of  Calhoun.  At 


April  12,  13,1 
1861. 


ATTACK    ON    SUMTER. 


487 


seven  o'clock,  Captain  Abner  Doubleday  fired  the  first  shot  in 
defence  of  the  Union.  The  bombardment  lasted  thirty-four  hours. 
The  walls  of  the  fort  were  seriously  injured,  and  the  main  gates 
destroyed ;  the  barracks  having  caught  fire,  the  magazine  was  so 
surrounded  by  the  flames  that  Anderson  ordered  the  powder  to 
be  thrown  into  the  sea.  The  garrison,  only  sixty-four  in  all,  worn 


ATTACK  ON  FORT  SUMTER  FROM  MORRIS  ISLAND.— (From  a  Sketch  taken  by  an  Eye-witness.) 

out  by  labor,  choked  and  blinded  by  smoke,  having  well-nigh 
exhausted  their  ammunition,  and  with  no  food  except  salt  pork, 
were  forced  to  surrender.  They  were  permitted  to  march  out 
after  firing  a  salute  of  fifty  guns  to  the  flag  before  hauling  it  down. 
Strange  to  say,  though  forty-seven  heavy  guns  and  mortars  had 
played  incessantly  upon  the  works,  throwing  two  thousand  three 
hundred  and  sixty  shot,  and  nine  hundred  and  eighty  shells,  not  a 
man  had  been  injured. 

The  news  of  the  first  shot  fired  upon  Sumter  stirred  the  nation 
like  an  electric  shock.  All  hesitation  vanished,  and  people  at 
once  took  sides  for  or  against  the  Union.  The  peace-makers 


488  FIRST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [Apri86Lay' 

were  put  down,  and  the  voice  of  reflection  was  silenced.  At  the 
South,  the  Union  men  were  overwhelmed  by  the  war  party,  and 
the  violent  secessionists  took  control.  At  the  North,  Republi 
cans  and  Democrats  combined  for  the  support  of  the  government. 
Lincoln  issued  a  call  for  seventy-five  thousand  troops ;  it  was 
answered  by  three  hundred  thousand  volunteers  eager  to  enlist. 
Virginia,  Arkansas,  North  Carolina,  and  Tennessee  now  linked 
their  fate  with  the  Confederacy. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  Virginia  would  be  the  battle-field 
of  the  war.  The  Confederate  capital  was  removed  to  Richmond. 
Virginian  troops  seized  the  United  States  armory  at  Harper's 
Ferry,  and  the  Navy -Yard  at  Norfolk.  Lieutenant  -  Colonel 
Robert  E.  Lee,  General  Scott's  favorite  aid,  and  son  of  "  Light- 
horse  Harry,"  threw  in  his  fortunes  with  his  native  State,  and  was 
at  once  put  in  charge  of  her  military  forces.  Regiments  were 
pushed  forward  from  the  South,  and  in  the  early  summer  there 
were  in  the  Old  Dominion  nearly  fifty  thousand  men  under  arms. 

Meanwhile,  Northern  soldiers  were  hurrying  to  the  defence 
of  the  national  capital.  On  the  igth  of  April,  a  Massachusetts 
regiment  was  mobbed  while  passing  through  Baltimore,  and 
several  men  were  killed.  Thus  the  first  blood  of  the  civil  war 
was  shed  on  the  anniversary  of  Lexington  and  Concord.  For  a 
time  Washington  was  isolated  from  the  nation.  The  famous 
Seventh  regiment  of  New  York,  and  General  Butler  with  the 
Eighth  Massachusetts,  landed  at  Annapolis,  seized  and  repaired 
the  railroad,  and  moved  on  toward  the  Potomac.  Finding  a 
wrecked  locomotive,  Butler  asked  if  any  one  could  put  it  right. 
"  I  can,"  said  one,  "  because  I  made  it."  In  fact,  these  men 
represented  every  trade  and  art,  and  could  do  any  work  required. 
Other  regiments  followed.  May  loth,  Baltimore  was  occupied 
by  the  Federal  troops,  and  regular  communication  with  Wash 
ington  was  re-established.  The  secession  fever  in  Maryland 
rapidly  diminished.  Kentucky  refused  to  go  out  of  the  Union, 
but  proclaimed  a  strict  neutrality.  Both  sides  soon  invaded  the 
State,  and  it  was  torn  with  civil  strife. 

*To  ensure  the  safety  of  Washington,  Arlington  Heights  were 
seized,  and  Colonel  Ellsworth  with  his  Zouaves  took  possession 
of  Alexandria.  Seeing  the  Confederate  flag  flying  from  the  roof 
of  a  hotel  in  that  place,  he  went  up  stairs  and  tore  it  down.  While 
descending,  he  was  shot  by  the  landlord,  who  in  turn  fell  by  the 
hand  of  a  private  soldier.  Fortress  Monroe  was  strongly  gar- 


1861.]  WAR    IN    WEST    VIRGINIA    AND    MISSOURI.  489 

risoned,  thus  securing-  this  depot  and  the  entrance  to  the  Chesa 
peake.  The  Confederate  troops  under  Magruder  were  driven 
from  Hampton,  and  some  negroes  being  captured  they  were 
declared  by  General  Butler  "  contraband  of  war,"  whence  arose 
the  popular  appellation,  "  contrabands."  Soon  after,  a  Federal 
detachment  sent  against  Big  Bethel  was  repulsed,  with  the  loss 
of  the  gallant  Major  Winthrop,  a  promising  young  author,  who 
was  shot  by  a  North  Carolina  drummer  boy. 

The  part  of  Virginia  lying  west  of  the  Alleghanies  was  strongly 
Union.  When  the  secession  ordinance  was  passed,  a  convention 
was  held  at  Wheeling,  which  decided  that  West  Virginia  should 
secede  from  the  commonwealth  and  establish  a  new  State.  Con 
federate  and  Union  troops  poured  in,  and  soon  the  novel  par 
adox  was  presented  of  a  seceded  State  resisting  secession,  and 
a  nation  then  at  war  to  prevent  secession  itself  fighting  to  up 
hold  it.  The  battles  of  Philippi,  Rich  Mountain,  Carrick's  Ford, 
Carnifex  Ferry,  and  Cheat  Mountain,  gave  the  Federalists  con 
trol  of  the  State.  West  Virginia  was  ultimately  admitted  into 
the  Union,  June  20,  1863. 

Governor  Jackson  made  vigorous  efforts  to  carry  Missouri  into 
the  ranks  of  the  disunionists.  Captain,  afterward  General,  Lyon, 
in  command  of  the  regular  troops,  foiled  his  design,  broke  up  a 
secessionist  camp  near  St.  Louis,  saved  the  United  States  arsenal 
in  that  city,  and  afterward  defeated  Colonel  Marmaduke  at  Boone- 
ville.  Missouri  soon  became  the  battle-ground  of  the  contending 
parties  at  the  West.  "  No  less  than  sixty  battles  and  skirmishes 
were  fought  on  its  soil  during  the  year."  Troops  being  pushed  up 
from  Texas  and  Arkansas  under  McCulloch  and  Price,  the  Feder 
alists  were  defeated  at  Carthage  and  Wilson's  Creek,  and  Colonel 
Mulligan  was  forced  to  surrender  the  national  garrison  at  Lexing 
ton.  Lyon  was  killed  in  the  second-named  encounter  while  gal 
lantly  heading  a  charge. 

General  Fremont,  who  was  then  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  western  department,  was  a  popular  officer,  but  he  was  not  in 
harmony  with  the  government,  and  he  had  confiscated  the  prop 
erty  and  the  slaves  of  those  in  arms  against  the  United  States. 
Just  as  he  was  on  the  eve  of  a  battle  at  Springfield,  he  was  re 
placed  by  General  Hunter,  who,  in  turn,  was  quickly  superseded 
by  General  Halleck.  The  skill  of  the  latter  officer,  with  the  aid 
of  such  men  as  Sigel,  Blair,  and  others,  in  a  measure  restored  the 
Union  supremacy. 


4QO  FIRST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [1861. 

In  December,  Brigadier-General  Grant  first  came  into  notice. 
He  led  an  expedition  down  the  river  from  Cairo  to  break  up,  at 
Belmont,  a  Confederate  encampment  of  troops  who  had  crossed 
over  from  Kentucky  under  General,  formerly  Bishop,  Polk.  At 
the  moment  of  success,  reinforcements  being  received  by  the 
enemy,  Grant  was  forced  to  retreat. 

By  midsummer,  Scott  had  collected  and  organized  at  Washing 
ton  a  considerable  army.  The  North  grew  impatient  of  delay,, 
and  the  cry  of  "  On  to  Richmond !  "  was  echoed  on  every  side. 
Many  of  the  troops  were  enlisted  for  only  three  months,  and  it. 
seemed  desirable  to  make  some  use  of  their  services  before  they 
returned  home.  Accordingly,  about  the  middle  of  July,  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Potomac,  under  General  Irvin  McDowell, 
was  sent  out  to  attack  the  main  Confederate  force  commanded 
by  General  Beauregard  at  Bull  Run  near  Manassas  Junction. 
The  two  armies  were  about  the  same  strength,  thirty  thousand 
men. 

McDowell's  plan  was  for  Heintzelman's  and  Hunter's  divisions 
to  cross  at  Sud ley's  Spring  Ford  and  turn  the  Confederate  left ; 
while  Tyler's  division  was  to  make  a  feint  at  the  stone  bridge  in 
front,  and  at  the  proper  moment  to  cross  over  and  finish  the  vic 
tory.  The  troops  started  at  half-past  two  o'clock,  Sunday  morn 
ing,  the  2 1  st.  But  they  had  to  force  their  way  along  foot-paths 
and  unused  roads,  and  the  attack  did  not  begin  until  after  tea 
o'clock,  when  they  were  already  weary  with  the  march  of  many 
miles  and  oppressed  by  the  heat  of  a  sultry  day.  Notwithstand 
ing,  they  went  into  this,  their  first  battle,  gallantly.  The  Con 
federates  were  steadily  driven  back,  the  bridge  was  cleared,  and 
Tyler's  men  crossed.  The  enemy's  left  wing  was  routed,  and  the 
first  stage  of  the  battle  was  over.  Then  came  the  second.  The 
Confederates  rallied  on  a  plateau  a  mile  and  a  half  in  rear  of  their 
first  line.  Here  they  were  reinforced  by  General  T.  J.  Jackson's 
brigade.  General  Bee,  rushing  up  to  Jackson,  said,  "  They  are 
beating  us  back."  "Well,  sir,  we  will  give  them  the  bayonet," 
was  the  calm  reply.  Turning  to  his  men,  Bee  shouted,  "  There's 
Jackson  standing  like  a  stone  wall ! "  "  From  that  time,"  says 
Draper,  "  the  name  he  had  received  in  a  baptism  of  fire  displaced 
that  he  had  received  in  a  baptism  of  water,  and  he  was  known 
ever  after  as  '  Stonewall  Jackson/  "  Generals  Johnston  and  Beau- 
regard  now  galloped  on  the  field.  The  former  seized  the  colors 
of  the  Fourth  Alabama  and  offered  to  head  a  charge ;  the  latter 


July  21,1 
1861.    - 


BATTLE    OF    BULL    RUN. 


491 


leaped  from  his  horse  and,  turning  to  his  men,  exclaimed,  "  I  am 
come  to  die  with  you!"  Around  the  plateau  the  battle  surged 
with  varying  success.  The  Confederates  had  brought  every  man 
and  gun  into  the  contest.  The  Union  troops  had  gained  the 
plateau,  been  swept  away,  but  had  regained  a  footing  on  the  crest. 
The  supreme  moment  had  come. 


GENERAL   "  STONEWALL "    JACKSON   AT  THE    HEAD    OF   HIS    BRIGADE. 

The  battle  had  reached  the  third  stage.  It  was,  however, 
already  decided,  and  that  away  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  Gen 
eral  Patterson  had  been  sent  there  with  twenty  thousand  men  to 
watch  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston's  command  at  Winchester. 
His  antagonist,  proving  too  wary  for  him,  escaped  with  a  large 
part  of  his  force,  and  reached  Beauregard  in  time  to  take  part 
in  this  struggle.  On  this  eventful  afternoon,  Kirby  Smith,  with 
the  residue  of  Johnston's  army,  was  approaching  Manassas  by  rail. 
Hearing  the  sound  of  a  heavy  battle,  he  stopped  his  engine,  and 
hurried  thither  across  the  fields.  And  now,  at  the  crisis  of  the 
contest,  he  suddenly  fell  upon  the  Union  flank.  "Here's  Johnston 
from  the  Valley !  "  was  the  cry  that  ran  down  the  ranks.  The 
battle  that  seemed  so  nearly  won,  was  lost  in  a  moment.  The 
ranks  broke,  and  soon  the  field  was  blue  with  fugitives.  As 
the  crowd  converged  upon  the  bridge  over  Cub  Run  in  the  rear, 
a  shell  burst  among  the  wagons  and  overturned  a  caisson.  The 
road  was  blocked  and  the  panic-stricken  soldiers  became  wild 


492  FIRST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

with  terror.  All  organization  was  lost ;  traces  were  cut ;  cannon 
abandoned  ;  ambulances  emptied  of  their  wounded  ;  and  guns  and 
equipments  thrown  away.  Horse,  foot,  artillery,  and  wagons  be- 
became  inextricably  entangled.  Mounted  men  put  spurs  to  their 
steeds  and  plunged  through  the  struggling  mass.  Congressmen 
and  ladies  who  had  come  out  to  see  the  fight,  and  officers  and 
privates  who  had  run  from  it,  streamed  over  the  country  breath 
less  with  haste  and  speechless  with  fright.  Many  never  stopped 
till  they  were  safe  over  the  Long  Bridge. 

Intense  was  the  chagrin  of  the  fugitives  when  they  found  that 
there  had  been  no  active  pursuit  by  the  Confederates.  The  Union 
rear-guard,  an  entire  division  which  had  taken  no  part  in  the  bat 
tle,  covered  the  retreat  and  fell  back  in  good  order.  The  Con 
federate  leaders  were  much  blamed  at  the  South  for  not  making 
an  immediate  advance  upon  Washington.  The  reasons  afterward 
given  by  General  Johnston  in  vindication  of  their  policy  show 
that  it  would  have  been  a  most  hazardous  undertaking,  and  one 
ardently  to  be  desired  by  the  Union  army.  The  Federal  loss  was 
about  three  thousand,  and  the  Confederate,  two  thousand  men. 

The  effects  of  this  battle  were  singular.  The  vanquished 
reaped  all  the  real  advantage.  "  The  victory,"  said  Johnston, 
"cost  us  more  than  the  defeat  did  our  antagonists."  "  It  was  the 
greatest  misfortune,"  declares  Pollard,  "  that  ever  befel  the  South 
ern  Confederacy."  The  phrase,  "  One  Southerner  is  equal  to  five 
Yankees  "  became  current.  The  war  seemed  ended,  and  crowds 
left  the  army  for  home.  The  new  government  was  considered  to 
be  established,  and  a  strife  began  over  the  location  of  the  capital, 
Nashville  offering  as  a  bait  a  costly  presidential  mansion.  At 
first,  the  North  was  chagrined  and  disappointed,  but  it  soon  ral 
lied  with  a  more  earnest  determination.  The  march  to  Rich 
mond  was  seen  to  be  something  more  than  a  mere  holiday  pro 
cession  of  the  military.  While  the  streets  of  the  capital  were 
crowded  with  stragglers,  the  House  of  Representatives  unani 
mously  passed  the  following :  "Resolved,  That  the  maintenance  of 
the  Constitution,  the  preservation  of  the  Union,  and  the  enforce 
ment  of  the  laws,  are  sacred  trusts  which  must  be  executed ;  and 
no  disaster  shall  discourage  us  from  the  most  ample  performance 
of  this  high  duty."  Five  hundred  thousand  men  and  five  hundred 
million  dollars  were  voted  to  carry  on  the  war.  The  successes  of 
General  McClellan  in  West  Virginia  having  won  him  the  confi 
dence  of  the  people,  "  The  Young  Napoleon,"  as  he  was  popu- 


1861.]  WAR    ON    THE    SEA    AND    COAST.  493 

larly  called,  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
Soon  after,  General  Scott,  on  account  of  increasing  infirmities,  re 
signed,  and  McClellan  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  forces  of 
the  United  States. 

No  military  action  of  importance  occurred  in  Virginia  during 
the  rest  of  the  year.  October  2ist,  a  Federal  reconnoitering  de 
tachment  was  overwhelmed  at  Ball's  Bluff  and  forced  down  the 
slippery  banks,  where,  the  old  scows  used  for  crossing  the  river 
being  sunk,  half  the  troops  were  cut  off.  Among  the  killed  was 
Colonel  Baker,  United  States  Senator  from  Oregon.  Late  in 
December,  General  E.  O.  C.  Ord,  in  command  of  a  foraging 
party,  was  successful  in  a  severe  skirmish  at  Dranesville. 

The  war  was  vigorously  waged  by  sea  and  along  the  coast, 
from  the  beginning.  Soon  after  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities, 
President  Lincoln  declared  the  Southern  ports  blockaded.  The 
American  navy  was  small,  and  at  this  time  the  Brooklyn  was  the 
only  efficient  vessel  at  hand  for  use.  Ships  were  rapidly  fitted 
out,  and  soon  armed  squadrons  were  watching  along  the  entire 
Southern  coast.  They  were  not  able,  however,  to  hermetically 
seal  a  shore  whose  length  exceeded  three  thousand  miles,  with 
many  inlets  and  intricate  approaches,  and  vessels  continually  ran 
the  blockade. 

The  Confederate  government  had  issued  letters  of  marque, 
authorizing  ships  upon  the  high  seas  to  prey  on  Northern  com 
merce.  In  June,  the  privateer  Savannah  escaped  from  Charleston, 
but  took  only  one  prize  before  she  was  captured  by  the  United 
States  brig  Perry.  The  next  month  the  Petrel,  a  former  revenue 
cutter,  also  from  Charleston,  got  to  sea,  and  soon  bore  down 
upon  a  ship  which  she  took  to  be  a  lumbering  old  merchant 
man.  In  truth,  it  was  the  frigate  St.  Lawrence,  with  port-holes 
closed  and  men  concealed  below.  The  Petrel  eagerly  pressed 
on  in  pursuit,  and  finally,  opened  fire  upon  the  innocent-looking 
craft.  Suddenly  the  St.  Lawrence  revealed  her  true  character, 
and  poured  a  broadside  into  the  saucy  privateer  which  sunk  her 
ere  all  her  crew  could  be  rescued.  The  most  successful  of  the 
privateers  was  the  Sumter,  Captain  Semmes,  which  got  safely  put 
of 'New  Orleans,  July  ist.  Semmes  made  several  captures,  was 
entertained  by  Confederate  sympathizers  at  Nassau,  and  finally 
reached  the  Bay  of  Gibraltar.  Here  he  was  blockaded  by  the 
United  States  steamer  Tuscarora  until  he  sold  his  vessel  in  despair. 

A  combined    naval   and   land   expedition   under   Commodore 


494  FIRST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [Aug<  flei^' 8> 

Stringham  and  General  Butler,  August  29th,  seized  the  forts  at 
the  entrance  of  Hatteras  Inlet,  North  Carolina.  Later,  a  second 
and  larger  expedition  commanded  by  Commodore  Dupont  and 
General  T.  W.  Sherman,  after  a  severe  bombardment,  captured 
the  earthworks  at  Port  Royal  entrance  and  Tybee  Island,  South 
Carolina.  During  this  engagement  the  ships  described  a  circle 
between  Forts  Beauregard  and  Walker,  each  vessel  delivering  its 
fire  as  it  slowly  sailed  by,  then  passing  on,  while  another  took  its 
place.  The  line  of  this  circle  was  constantly  changed  to  prevent 
the  Confederate  cannoneers  from  getting  the  range  of  the  vessels. 
The  troops,  dismayed  by  the  terrible  fire,  escaped  to  the  woods, 
and  thence  to  Charleston.  The  neighboring  planters  followed, 
and  when  Sherman  took  possession  of  Beaufort  soon  after,  he 
found  "  only  one  white  person  there,  and  he  was  drunk." 

The  foreign  relations  caused  both  governments  great  anxiety. 
England  and  France  quickly  issued  a  proclamation  of  neutrality, 
but  acknowledged  the  Confederates  as  belligerents,  while  the 
United  States  insisted  that  they  should  be  considered  as  insur 
gents.  After  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  recognition  of  the  Con 
federacy  by  the  European  powers  was  considered  at  the  South 
almost  certain,  especially  as  England  suffered  so  greatly  from  the 
stoppage  of  the  cotton  supply.  Messrs.  Mason  and  Slidell,  who 
were  appointed  commissioners  to  the  foreign  courts,  having  run 
the  blockade,  took  passage  at  Havana  on  the  Trent,  an  English 
mail-steamer.  The  next  day,  Captain  Wilkes,  of  the  United  States 
steamer  San  Jacinto,  intercepted  the  Trent  and  captured  the 
envoys.  On  the  reception  of  the  news,  the  British  government 
began  at  once  to  prepare  for  hostilities.  The  United  States 
authorities,  however,  promptly  disavowed  the  act,  which,  in  fact, 
was  directly  opposed  to  the  principles  of  the  war  of  1812,  and 
surrendered  the  commissioners.  The  threatening  cloud  of  foreign 
intervention  was  thus  brushed  away. 


TH2    SAN    JACINTO    INTERCEPTING    THE    TRENT. 


CHAPTER     XIV. 

SECOJJ®    YEAfc    OF    THE    CIVIL 

cCLELLAN     had    shown    great 
ability  in  organizing  the  men  and 
material  poured  out  so  lavishly  by 
the  North.     The  Army  of  the  Po 
tomac,  February   ist,  numbered 
over   two    hundred   and   twenty 
thousand     troops,     admirably 
equipped.      During  the  fall  and 
early    winter,   the    weather    was 
excellent,  and  everybody  expect 
ed  an  advance.     None  was  made. 
The  phrase  "All  is  quiet  on  the 
Potomac"    became    a    proverb. 
The  President,  impatient  of  this 

delay,  gave  expression  to  the  common  expectation  of  the  country 
by  his  order  of  January  2/th,  directing  that  on  Washington's  birth 
day  there  should  be  a  "forward  march"  of  all  the  troops  of  the 
United  States. 

During  the  preceding  year,  the  war  had  been  carried  on 
entirely  at  random.  Henceforth  the  movements  of  the  armies 
were  more  in  accordance  with  a  definite  plan.  Three  objects 
were  kept  prominently  in  view.  These  were  the  opening  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  the  enforcement  of  the  blockade,  and  the  cap 
ture  of  Richmond. 

At  the  West,  the  Confederates  had  a  line  of  defence  extending 
from  the  Mississippi  to  the  Cumberland  Mountains.  The  right 
was  at  Mill  Spring  and  Cumberland  Gap,  and  the  left  at  Colum 
bus,  which  was  so  strongly  fortified  that  it  was  called  the  Gibral 
tar  of  America.  Forts  Donelson  and  Henry  held  the  Tennessee 
and  Cumberland  Rivers.  A  force  at  Bowling  Green  protected 
the  railroad  southward  to  Nashville.  General  Halleck,  in  com 
mand  of  the  western  troops,  adopted  the  plan  of  piercing  this  line 


496  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [Jal862e,b" 

at  the  centre,  thereby  forcing  the  evacuation  of  Columbus.  He 
would  thus  open  the  way  to  Nashville,  recover  a  part  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  and  finally  threaten  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  rail 
road,  the  great  route  between  the  eastern  and  western  parts  of 
the  Confederacy. 

The  western  armies,  with  the  ardor  so  characteristic  of  the 
people,  were  ready  to  march  long  before  the  time  fixed  by  the 
President.  General  George  H.  Thomas  opened  the  campaign, 
January  i8th,  by  repulsing  a  dashing  Confederate  attack  at 
Logan's  Cross  Roads.  This  was  followed  by  the  evacuation  of  the 
strong  position  at  Mill  Spring.  Commodore  Foote,  with  a  fleet 
of  gun-boats  and  transports  carrying  seventeen  thousand  men 
under  General  Grant,  left  Cairo  February  2d,  and  ascended  the 
Tennessee.  The  troops  disembarked  about  four  miles  below  Fort 
Henry,  and  marched  up  both  banks  of  the  river,  while  the  fleet 
bombarded  the  fort.  Under  the  terrific  rain  of  bombs  and  balls, 
the  place  soon  became  untenable.  General  Tilghman,  having  sent 
away  his  garrison  to  Fort  Donelson  before  the  arrival  of  Grant's 
army,  gallantly  resolved  to  sacrifice  himself  to  secure  the  retreat 
of  his  men.  He  remained  behind  with  a  mere  handful  of  artiller 
ists,  manning  his  guns  until  defence  was  hopeless.  He  then  hauled 
down  his  flag,  surrendering  at  discretion.  During  the  action,  a 
shot  tore  through  the  side  of  the  steamer  Essex  and  pierced  her 
boiler.  The  vessel  was  instantly  filled  with  steam,  which  killed 
both  the  pilots  at  their  posts  and  severely  scalded  Captain  W.  D. 
Porter  and  nearly  forty  of  his  crew. 

Commodore  Foote,  with  his  fleet,  then  returned  to  the  Ohio 
and  came  up  the  Cumberland  River,  while  Grant  crossed  over  by 
land  to  co-operate  in  the  reduction  of  Fort  Donelson.  This  was 
a  large  field-work,  covering  one  hundred  acres  and  mounting 
sixty-five  guns.  It  crowned  a  bluff  one  hundred  feet  high,  which 
commanded  the  river  for  a  distance  of  two  miles.  On  the  land 
side  was  a  line  of  rifle-pits  and  batteries,  protected  by  abattis  and 
interlaced  brush,  extending  along  the  wooded  hills  two  and  one- 
half  miles. 

On  the  1 3th,  soon  after  Grant's  arrival,  McClernand's  division 
assaulted  a  battery,  but  was  repulsed.  A  bitter  storm  of  hail  and 
snow  came  on  at  dark,  but  the  hardy  western  troops  lay  down  in 
line  of  battle  with  no  fires  nor  tents,  and  many  of  them  with  no 
blankets.  The  wounded  who  could  not  crawl  off  were  left  in  the 
narrow  space  between  the  two  armies,  where  their*  piteous  cries 


F,e8b6jl?']  CAPTURE    OF    FORT    DONELSON.  497 

were  heard  through  the  night.  The  next  afternoon,  the  gun 
boats,  moving  up  to  within  three  hundred  yards,  engaged  the 
water-batteries.  The  plunging  fire  from  the  bluff,  however,  told 
heavily.  The  flag-ship  was  struck  by  fifty-nine  shots,  and  the 
crippled  boats  finally  withdrew,  the  commodore  himself  being 
wounded.  The  Confederate  works  were  uninjured,  and  no  one 
in  them  was  seriously  hurt. 

So  far  everything  had  gone  against  the  Union  army,  but  it  had 
received  heavy  reinforcements,  until  it  amounted  to  u  thirty  thou 
sand,  may  be  forty  thousand  men."  The  Confederates,  therefore, 
despaired  of  a  successful  defence,  and  General  Floyd  (Buchanan's 
late  Secretary  of  War)  called  a  council,  at  which  it  was  decided 
to  break  through  the  investment  and  force  a  way  to  Nashville. 
The  next  morning,  an  hour  before  day,  having  massed  his  men 
heavily  on  the  left,  General  Pillow  sallied  out  on  Grant's  right 
wing,  while  Buckner  made  a  vigorous  attack  at  the  centre.  The 
Confederates  were  successful,  and  the  Wynn's  Ferry  road  lay 
open  before  them.  By  some  strange  fatality,  they  did  not  seize 
the  object  for  which  they  had  been  fighting.  Meanwhile  Grant, 
who  had  visited  the  fleet  to  consult  with  Commodore  Foote, 
came  upon  the  field,  and  seeing  that  the  critical  moment  had 
arrived,  ordered  a  general  advance  along  the  whole  line.  His 
men  swept  all  before  them,  recovered  the  battle-field,  and,  at  the 
left,  General  Smith  secured  a  foothold  on  the  hill,  the  very  key 
of  the  fort.  A  half  hour  more  of  daylight,  and  Donelson  would 
have  been  taken. 

That  night  the  thermometer  sank  to  10°  above  zero.  The 
troops  on  both  sides,  with  neither  fire  nor  shelter,  shivered  in  the 
pitiless  storm,  while  the  ground  on  which  they  lay  was  covered 
with  a  sheet  of  ice.  But,  sadder  yet,  the  wounded  by  hundreds 
strewed  the  fields,  staining  the  snow  with  a  crimson  tint,  and 
slowly  stiffening  and  freezing  as  the  life-current  ebbed  away. 
General  Wallace's  men,  who  were  nearest,  spent  nearly  the  whole 
night  in  ministering  to  the  wants  of  friend  and  foe. 

Under  cover  of  the  darkness,  Generals  Pillow,  Floyd,  and 
Forrest  escaped  from  the  fort.  General  Buckner,  who  succeeded 
to  the  command  of  those  who  disdained  to  flee,  found  many  of  his 
men  so  exhausted  that  they  fell  asleep  when  standing  in  line  of  bat 
tle,  even  under  fire.  In  the  morning,  he  wrote  to  General  Grant, 
asking  the  terms  of  capitulation.  Grant  replied  that  none  would 
be  accepted  except  an  "  unconditional  surrender,"  and  that  he 
32 


498 


SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


TFeb. -March 
1862. 


"  proposed  to  move  immediately  upon  his  works."     Buckner  had 
no  choice,  and  the  garrison  accordingly  laid  down  their  arms. 

These  victories  accomplished  the  result  which  was  expected. 
Bowling  Green  and  Columbus  were  evacuated.  The  Confed 
erates  fell  back  to  Corinth, 
the  great  railroad  centre 
for  Mississippi  and  Tennes 
see,  where  their  forces  were 
gradually  collected  under 
the  command  of  Generals 
Albert  Sydney  Johnston  and 
Beauregard.  General  Buell, 


in  command  of  the  Depart- 


SURRENDER   OF   FORT   DONELSON. 


ment  of  the  Ohio, 
at  once  advanced 
and  took  posses 
sion  of  Nashville,  which  became  his  headquarters.  The  next  move 
ment  of  the  Union  army  was  to  secure  the  Memphis  and  Charles 
ton  railroad,  thus  cutting  off  Memphis  and  recovering  another 
section  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Grant  having  had  some  difficulty 
with  Halleck,  his  army  was  turned  over  to  General  C.  F.  Smith, 
who  ascended  the  Tennessee  and  encamped  at  Pittsburg  Land 
ing.  This  officer  fell  ill  of  a  mere  scratch  which  he  received 
in  getting  upon  a  boat,  and,  his  health  having  been  injured  by  ex 
posure  during  the  siege  of  Fort  Donelson,  died  soon  after.  Mean- 


April  6-7, 1 
1862.     J 


BATTLE    OF    PITTSBURG    LANDING. 


499 


while  Grant  was  restored  to  the  command,  and  Duel  was  ordered 
to  reinforce  him,  preparatory  to  an  advance  upon  Corinth. 

The  Confederate  generals,  detecting  this  plan,  decided  to  fall 
upon  Grant's  army  before  Buell  could  arrive.  They  accordingly 
set  out  quietly  from  Corinth  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of 
April  3d,  with  about  forty  thousand  men.  On  Saturday  night, 
the  5th,  the  army  lay  concealed  within  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
of  the  Union  pickets.  "  It  would  have  required  a  keen  eye," 
says  the  Comte  de 
Paris,  "  to  discover 
at  the  bottom  of  a 
ravine  the  only  fire 
which  had  been  kin 
dled  in  camp  ;  where 
every  one  was  pre 
paring  in  silence,  and 
without  light,  for 
the  conflict  of  the 
next  day.  Its  flick 
ering  flame  projected 
on  the  surrounding 
trees  the  shadows  of  a 
few  officers  wrapped 
up  in  cavalry  cloaks. 
These  were  the  lead 
ers  of  the  Confeder 
ate  army,  assembled 
to  discuss  the  chances 
of  the  battle  which 

was  to  restore  to  them  the  whole  valley  of  the  Mississippi  ;— 
Johnston,  who  seemed  already  to  bear  upon  his  gloomy  brow 
the  presentiment  of  his  approaching  death ;  Beauregard,  full  of 
ardor  and  of  confidence,  which  he  was  endeavoring  to  impart  to 
the  others ;  Hardee,  the  practiced  officer,  whose  European  mili 
tary  education  invested  him  with  a  peculiar  authority ;  Braxton 
Bragg,  as  stiff,  and  even  haughty,  toward  his  equals  as  he  was 
stern  to  his  inferiors ;  Bishop  Polk,  who  only  remembered  the 
early  years  of  his  youth  passed  at  the  West  Point  Academy ; 
finally,  Breckenridge,  the  politician,  very  lately  Vice-President  of 
the  United  States,  an  improvised  general,  who  was  learning  his 
profession  in  this  great  and  rough  school.  Their  deliberations 
were  long.  At  last  the  soldiers,  who  were  watching  them  at 


THE    MIDNIGHT   COUNCIL    OF   WAK. 


500  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [*\&62.' 

a  distance,  saw  them  separate,  and  each  direct  his  steps  toward 
his  own  headquarters.  '  Gentlemen,'  said  Beauregard,  '  to-mor 
row  we  shall  sleep  in  the  enemy's  camp.' '  The  Federal  troops 
were  scattered  over  a  plateau  extending  three  or  four  miles  back 
from  the  river.  This  was  cut  up  with  ravines,  woods,  and  a 
very  maze  of  roads  and  by-paths.  It  was  known  that  the  enemy 
was  in  force  at  Corinth,  only  a  score  of  miles  away,  and  during 
Saturday  the  woods  had  been  found  alive  with  scouts;  yet  no 
breastworks  had  been  thrown  up  ;  no  abattis,  there  made  so  easily, 
had  been  constructed  ;  no  careful  reconnoitering  parties  sent  for 
ward  ;  and  no  efficient  system  of  spies  and  advance-pickets  estab 
lished.  That  night  the  Union  army,  about  thirty-three  thousand 
strong,  slept  in  quiet,  never  dreaming  of  impending  peril. 

Just  at  daybreak,  the  pickets  were  driven  in.  Close  on  their 
heels  came  the  shells,  and  then,  pouring  at  double-quick  from  the 
woods,  the  magnificent  Confederate  lines  of  battle.  Many  of  the 
Federals,  especially  officers,  had  not  yet  risen ;  some  were  dress 
ing  ;  some  washing  or  cooking ;  some  eating  their  breakfast ;  and 
some  were  never  awakened,  and  were  afterward  found  dead  in 
their  beds.  Surprised,  but  not  panic-stricken,  the  troops  formed 
their  ranks  as  best  they  could.  The  brigades  of  Sherman  and 
Prentiss  received  the  first  shock.  The  latter  general,  with  three 
regiments,  becoming  separated  from  the  rest,  was  surrounded  and 
taken  prisoner.  His  division  had  only  been  organized  eleven 
days,  and  many  of  his  men  had  received  no  ammunition.  His 
camp  was  soon  occupied  and  plundered.  Sherman,  by  his  reck 
less  bravery  inspiring  his  raw  troops  with  his  own  undaunted 
resolution,  held  them  in  place  till  the  middle  of  the  afternoon, 
when  he  fell  back  to  a  new  line  guarding  the  bridge,  by  which 
General  Wallace's  brigade  was  expected  to  arrive  from  Crump's 
Landing,  five  miles  below. 

There  seemed  no  hope  for  the  Union  army.  It  had  been 
pushed  to  the  very  edge  of  the  river.  Beneath  the  bluff,  at  the. 
landing,  huddled  a  mass  of  five  or  six  thousand  fugitives,  pale, 
trembling,  cowardly,  whom  no  entreaties  nor  menaces  could  move 
to  the  aid  of  their  brave  companions.  One  more  bold  dash,  and 
the  Confederates  would  drive  all  pell-mell  into  the  water.  Grant, 
who,  as  at  Donelson,  was  absent  from  the  field,  had  arrived  at 
eight  o'clock,  only  to  find  an  already  beaten  army.  He  then  did 
his  utmost  to  reorganize  his  men  and  establish  fresh  points  of 
defence.  At  half-past  two  General  Johnston  was  wounded.  He 


Afi862"7']  BATTLE    OF    PITTSBURG    LANDING.  5OI 

still  kept  his  horse,  however,  and  was  only  taken  off  to  die.  It 
was  some  time  ere  Beauregard  got  his  troops  in  hand.  Grant 
used  this  precious  delay  to  the  utmost.  Scattered  guns  were 
massed  in  a  semicircle  upon  a  bluff  commanding  the  road  to  the 
landing.  These  were  worked  by  volunteers — soldiers,,  officers, 
and  a  surgeon.  Behind  them  gathered  the  troops  who  yet  stood 
firm.  In  front  was  a  deep  ravine,  wet  and  slippery,  at  the  foot  of 
which  were  anchored  two  gun-boats,  the  Lexington  and  the 
Tyler.  Just  at  eve,  the  Confederates  essayed  this  last  obstacle. 
But  struggling  through  the  mud  and  water,  torn  by  musket-ball 
and  cannon-shot  from  above  and  eight-inch  shell  from  below,  few 
reached  the  brow  of  the  bluff.  Just  then  the  advance  of  Buell's 
army,  Ammen's  brigade,  came  upon  the  field  at  the  double-quick. 
They  repulsed  the  final  charge  and  drove  the  enemy  headlong 
down  the  slope. 

The  Confederates  were  indeed  checked,  but  they  had  reaped 
all  the  substantial  fruits  of  victory.  They  had  taken  the  Union 
camps,  three  thousand  prisoners,  thirty  flags,  and  immense  stores. 

All  the  night  of  that  lurid  Sunday,  a  day  sacred  to  the  Prince  of 
Peace,  the  gun-boats  threw  their  enormous  shells  into  the  woods, 
where  the  wearied  Confederates  were  seeking  rest.  Stragglers 
plundered  and  reveled  in  the  captured  tents,  and  the  wounded, 
gray  and  blue,  lay  in  their  pain.  The  woods  caught  fire,  and  the 
flames,  creeping  among  the  leaves  and  up  the  dead  trunks,  gave 
place  only  to  torrents  of  rain,  which  so  often  follow  a  heavy  en 
gagement. 

The  next  morning  the  tide  turned.  Lew  Wallace,  whom 
Grant  expected  to  come  upon  the  enemy's  flank  and  decide  the 
battle,  as  Bliicher  did  at  Waterloo,  had  spent  the  whole  day  in 
wandering  about  to  find  the  Union  army ;  but  he  was  now  on  the 
field  with  five  thousand  fresh  troops.  Buell's  army,  twenty-two 
thousand  strong,  was  in  line.  The  wearied  Confederates  were  in 
no  condition  to  resist  their  overwhelming  attacks.  Beauregard, 
contesting,  step  by  step,  every  tree  and  ridge,  was  driven  from 
the  field.  He  retired,  however,  in  good  order,  and,  unmolested, 
returned  to  Corinth.  He  had  lost  nearly  eleven  thousand  men, 
and  Grant  thirteen  thousand. 

An  eye-witness  of  this  retreat  says :  "  In  this  ride  I  saw  more 
of  human  agony  and  woe  than  I  trust  I  shall  ever  again  be  called 
to  behold.  The  retreating  host  wound  along  a  narrow  and  almost 
impassable  road.  Here  was  a  long  line  of  wagons  loaded  with 


502  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [*!%62.'' 

wounded,  piled  in  like  bags  of  grain,  groaning  and  cursing;  while 
the  mules  plunged  on  in  mud  and  water,  the  latter  sometimes 
coming  into  the  wagons.  Next  was  a  straggling  regiment  of 
infantry,  pressing  on  past  the  train  of  wagons ;  then  a  stretcher, 
borne  upon  the  shoulders  of  four  men,  carrying  a  wounded 
officer ;  then  soldiers  staggering  along,  with  an  arm  broken  and 
hanging  down,  or  other  fearful  wounds.  To  add  to  the  horrors 
of  the  scene,  the  elements  of  heaven  marshaled  their  forces — a 
fitting  accompaniment  of  the  tempest  of  human  desolation  and 
passion  which  was  raging.  A  cold,  drizzling  rain  commenced 
about  nightfall,  and  finally  turned  to  pitiless,  blinding  hail.  I 
passed  wagon-trains  filled  with  wounded  and  dying  soldiers, 
without  even  a  blanket  to  shield  them  from  the  driving  sleet  and 
hail,  which  fell  in  stones  as  large  as  partridge-eggs,  until  it  lay  on 
the  ground  two  inches  deep.  Some  three  hundred  men  died 
during  that  awful  retreat,  and  their  bodies  were  thrown  out  to 
make  room  for  others  who,  although  wounded,  had  struggled  on 
through  the  storm,  hoping  to  find  shelter,  rest,  and  medical  care." 

History  reveals  a  page  on  which,  now  the  "  cruel  war  is  over," 
no  American  can  look  without  a  moistening  of  the  eye,  a  flutter 
ing  of  the  heart,  and  a  secret  pride  that  we  are  all  one  again. 
The  "  incomparable  infantry,"  as  Draper  styles  them,  which  so 
nearly  snatched  the  victory  from  the  Union  banners  on  the  bloody 
plateau  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  exhibited  a  patient  endurance  and 
a  heroic  valor  which  made  them  the  admiration  of  the  Northern 
soldiers  who  met  them  on  so  many  hard-fought  fields.  In  a  letter 
written  by  a  lady  to  a  friend  after  a  visit  to  Camp  Douglas, 
Chicago,  is  a  touching  description  of  the  appearance  of  the  pris 
oners  taken  at  Shiloh,  as  this  battle  is  often  called  from  a  little 
church  near  by  :  "I  have  not  told  you  how  awfully  they  were 
dressed.  They  had  old  carpets,  new  carpets,  rag  carpets,  old 
bed-quilts,  new  bed-quilts,  and  ladies'  quilts  for  blankets.  They 
had  slouch  hats,  children's  hats,  little  girls'  hats ;  but  not  one 
soldier  had  a  soldier's  cap  on  his  head.  One  man  had  two  old 
hats  tied  to  his  feet  instead  of  shoes.  They  were  the  most  rag 
ged,  torn,  and  worn,  and  weary-looking  set  I  ever  saw.  Every 
one  felt  sorry  for  them,  and  no  one  was  disposed  to  speak  un 
kindly  to  them."  To  read  of  their  sufferings  and  endurance  is 
like  perusing  a  misplaced  page  of  Revolutionary  times. 

General  Halleck  now  assumed  command  of  the  Union  army, 
which  was  increased  to  one  hundred  thousand  men,  and,  bv  slow 


AND  ISLAND  N0>  10> 


OPERATIONS    ALONG    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  503 

stages,  followed  the  Confederates.  Beauregard,  finding  himself 
outnumbered,  evacuated  Corinth,  and,  May  3<Dth,  Halleck  took 
possession  of  that  important  railroad  centre. 

Closely  connected  with  the  movements  of  the  army  of  the  Ten 
nessee  were  the  efforts  made  to  reopen  the  navigation  of  the  Mis 
sissippi,  which  the  South  had  carefully  fortified  at  every  stragetic 
point  from  the  Ohio  to  the  Gulf,  a  distance  of  a  thousand  miles. 
The  Confederates,  on  retreating  from  Columbus,  fell 
back  to  New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10.  General 
Pope,  with  the  Union  forces,  descending  the  Mis 
souri  side  of  the  river,  invested  the  former  place 
March  3d.  The  garrison,  however,  precipitately 
abandoned  their  position,  "leaving  their  supper  uii- 
touched  and  their  candles  burning,"  and  retired  to  Island  No.  10. 
Here  they  were  bombarded  by  Commodore  Foote  for  three  weeks, 
with  little  effect  ;  three  thousand  shells  having  killed  only  one  man. 
Pope's  engineers,  meanwhile,  were  digging  a  canal  twelve  miles 
long  and  fifty  feet  wide  across  Donaldson's  Point.  Half  of  the  way 
was  through  heavy  timber,  where  the  trees  had  to  be  cut  off  four 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water.  This  heavy  task  was  accom 
plished  in  nineteen  days.  Steamboats  and  barges  were  then  safely 
transferred  below  the  newly-made  island,  while  the  Carondelet  and 
the  Pittsburg  ran  the  batteries.  Under  the  protection  of  these  gun 
boats,  Pope  crossed  the  Mississippi  in  the  midst  of  a  fearful  storm, 
took  the  Confederate  works  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  prepared 
to  attack  the  principal  fortifications  in  the  rear.  The  garrison, 
nearly  seven  thousand  strong,  finding  their  retreat  cut  off,  surren 
dered  on  the  last,  day  of  the  conflict  at  Shiloh. 

Commodore  Foote  then  descended  the  river,  and,  May  loth, 
defeated  the  Confederate  fleet  above  Fort  Pillow  after  a  desperate 
engagement.  In  consequence  of  the  retreat  of  the  Confederate 
army  southward,  that  fort  was  evacuated.  The  Union  gun-boats 
proceeded  southward,  and,  June  5th,  off  the  levee  at  Memphis, 
engaged  the  flotilla  which  defended  that  city.  It  was  a  singular 
combat,  recalling  the  sea-fights  of  the  Romans.  A  Union  ram, 
the  Queen  of  the  West,  striking  the  General  Price,  a  Confederate 
ram,  sank  her  at  once  ;  in  turn,  the  Queen  was  run  into  by  the 
Beauregard,  and  disabled  ;  thereupon  the  Monarch  made  at  the 
Beauregard,  and  sank  her.  All  the  Confederate  vessels  except  one 
were  destroyed.  Memphis  then  surrendered,  thus  giving  to  the 
Union  army  the  control  of  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  railroad. 


504  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [AU|86°Ctl 

General  Halleck  having  been  called  to  Washington,  the  com- 
mand-in-chief  fell  to  General  Grant,  who  held  Memphis,  Grand 
Junction,  and  Corinth.  The  Confederate  army  was  soon  after 
concentrated  under  Bragg  at  Chattanooga,  Price  at  luka,  and  Van 
Dorn  at  Holly  Springs.  We  shall  follow  the  attempts  they  made 
to  break  through  the  rapidly  contracting  line  of  the  Federal  in 
vestment.  The  South  was  determined  to  reconquer  the  border 
States,  which  had  been  so  early  lost,  and  to  carry  the  burdens  of 
war  beyond  her  own  limits. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  General  Braxton  Bragg  set  out 
from  Chattanooga  upon  a  grand  raid  into  Kentucky.  General 
Buell  moved  northward  to  Nashville,  where,  by  intercepted  de,- 
spatches,  he  learned  that  Louisville  was  the  objective  point  of  the 
expedition.  Then  ensued  between  them  a  race  of  nearly  three 
hundred  miles.  At  Frankfort,  Bragg  was  joined  by  Kirby  Smith, 
who  had  marched  from  Knoxville,  routed  a  Union  force  under 
General  Manson  at  Richmond,  Kentucky,  and  had  then  moved 
North  as  far  as  Cynthiana,  where  he  threatened  to  attack  Cincin 
nati,  but  was  repelled  by  the  extensive  preparations  made  by  Gen 
eral  Lew  Wallace.  Bragg  was  detained  by  the  burning  of  a  bridge 
at  Bardstown,  and  so  Buell  reached  Louisville  first. 

The  Union  army  was  here  heavily  reinforced  until  it  numbered 
one  hundred  thousand,  double  the  strength  of  the  enemy.  Buell, 
however,  waited  to  reorganize  and  get  thoroughly  ready  before 
he  moved.  Bragg  took  advantage  of  the  delay  to  declare  Ken 
tucky  a  Confederate  State  ;  to  appoint  a  provisional  government ; 
and  to  scour  the  country,  seizing  cattle,  bacon  and  grain,  break 
ing  open  stores  and  taking  the  goods  on  paying  for  them  in  Con 
federate  money,  and  forcing  the  inhabitants  to  join  his  army. 
Buell  was  at  last  compelled  by  the  Washington  authorities  and 
the  pressure  of  public  opinion  to  make  a  move,  when  he  slowly 
followed  Bragg,  who  as  leisurely  fell  back.  At  Perryville,  Bragg 
fiercely  turned  upon  his  pursuers,  and  a  desperate  battle  was 
fought.  In  the  darkness,  however,  Bragg  retreated,  and  finally 
escaped  with  his  plunder,  which  filled  a  wagon  train  forty  miles 
long.  At  this  juncture  (October  3Oth),  General  Buell  was  super 
seded  by  General  William  S.  Rosecrans. 

Previous  to  this  appointment,  important  events  had  taken 
place  within  Grant's  command.  He  had  sent  the  veterans  of 
Donelson  and  Shiloh  to  Buell's  help,  and  his  army  was  greatly 
depleted.  But  thinking  that  Rosecrans,  then  at  Tuscumbia, 


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/wFtfi* ^.~»A- 

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so^vTo^  *%*•"  f  try:  ^— *s&     (    .vw      sj 

©^^^P^^A^^MHA^ 

»«i®B»==: 


CIVIL,  WAB 

EASTERN  REGION. 


506  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [?pfio4' 


could  destroy  Price  at  luka,  before  Van  Dorn  could  come  from 
Holly  Springs  to  prevent,  he  directed  him  to  make  the  attempt. 
It  proved  a  bloody  failure.  Price  and  Van  Dorn  thereupon 
united  their  forces,  forty  thousand  strong,  and,  October  4th, 
attacked  Rosecrans,  who  had  fallen  back  into  Corinth  with  only 
half  that  number.  Price's  column  moved  forward  in  the  shape  of 
an  immense  wedge.  Its  point  pierced  the  Union  centre  and 
reached  Rosecrans's  headquarters  in  the  town.  But  on  its  sides, 
spread  out  like  great  wings,  the  Federal  batteries  opened  upon 
the  right  and  left.  The  Confederate  troops,  cowering  before  the 
storm,  "bent  their  necks  downward  and  marched  steadily  to  death, 
with  their  faces  averted,  like  men  striving  to  protect  themselves, 
against  a  driving  hail."  They  \vere  flanked  on  every  side,  and 
no  human  courage  could  stand  the  tempest.  The  whole  Union 
line  finally  charged  upon  them,  and  a  gleaming  row  of  steel  swept 
their  torn  and  ragged  ranks  back  to  the  edge  of  the  forest. 

Van  Dora's  attack  on  the  Union  left  should  have  been  simul 
taneous  with  Price's  upon  the  centre,  but  he  was  delayed  until 
that  was  repulsed.  Twenty  minutes  after,  the  Texas  and  Missis 
sippi  troops  made  a  brilliant  charge  upon  Fort  Robinette. 
Steady  and  unyielding,  they  advanced  to  within  fifty  yards  of  the 
entrenchments,  received  a  shower  of  grape  and  canister  with 
out  flinching,  and  were  only  driven  when  the  Ohio  brigade 
poured  a  full  volley  of  musketry  into  their  ranks.  They  were 
then  rallied  by  Colonel  Rogers,  who  led  them  back  through  the 
abattis,  where,  with  the  colors  in  one  hand  and  a  revolver  in  the 
other,  he  sprang  upon  the  embankment  and  cheered  on  his  men. 
An  instant  more,  and  he  fell,  with  five  brave  fellows  who  had 
dared  to  leap  to  his  side.  A  hand-to-hand  struggle  ensued  with 
bayonets,  clubbed  muskets,  and  brawny  fists.  The  charge,  how 
ever,  was  checked,  and  the  Eleventh  Missouri  and  the  Twenty- 
seventh  Ohio,  jumping  over  the  entrenchments,  chased  the  broken 
fragment  of  the  Southern  column  back  to  the  cover  of  the  woods. 
The  Union  army,  being  reinforced,  continued  the  pursuit  for 
forty  miles.  The  Federal  loss  was  about  twenty-four  hundred, 
and  the  Confederate  more  than  double  that  amount. 

We  now  follow  Rosecrans  to  Nashville,  where  he  concentrated 
Buell's  forces  after  assuming  command  of  that  army.  He  reached 
the  city  November  loth.  It  is  pleasant  to  notice  that,  orders 
having  been  given  to  transfer  his  headquarters  on  the  Qth,  the 
general,  remembering  that  it  would  be  Sunday,  countermanded 


Dec.,~| 
I862.J 


ATTACK    ON    FORT    ROBINETTE. 


507 


them.  His  example  fixed  in  the  minds  of  his  men  the  very  whole 
some  idea  that  the  Sabbath  should  be  sacred  in  war  as  in  peace. 
Rosecrans's  efforts  to  discipline  and  equip  his  dilapidated  army 
were  indefatigable.  To  one  of  the  men,  who  gave  as  an  excuse 
for  being  barefooted  that  he  could  not  get  shoes,  he  replied  : 


HEROISM    OF   COLONEL   ROGERS. — BATTLE   OF   CORINTH. 


"  Can't  get  shoes  !  Why  ?  Go  to  your  captain  and  demand  what 
you  need  !  Go  to  him  every  day  till  you  get  it.  Bore  him  for  it ! 
Bore  him,  bore  him,  bore  him  !  Don't  let  him  rest.  Let  the 
captains  bore  their  colonels ;  let  colonels  bore  their  brigadiers ; 
brigadiers  their  division  generals ;  division  generals  their  corps 
commanders ;  and  let  the  corps  commanders  bore  me.  Fll  see 
then  if  you  don't  get  what  you  want.  Bore,  bore,  bore,  until 
you  get  everything  you  are  entitled  to." 

The   last   of   December,    Rosecrans    moved    southward   with 


508  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [D|86231' 

forty-six  thousand  troops  to  check  Bragg,  who  was  already  en 
route  upon  a  second  grand  foraging  tour,  with  over  sixty  thousand 
men  according  to  Union  accounts,  and  thirty-five  thousand  by  his 
own.  The  two  armies  met  near  Murfreesborough  on  the  closing 
day  of  the  year.  Both  generals  had  formed  the  same  plan  for  the 
approaching  contest.  This  was  to  mass  his  strength  on  the  left 
wing,  and  with  that  to  crush  the  enemy's  right.  The  advantage 
clearly  lay  with  the  army  which  struck  first.  Bragg  secured  the 
initiative.  As  the  Union  left  was  crossing  Stone  River  to  attack 
the  Confederate  right,  the  strong  Confederate  left  fell  heavily  on 
the  weak  Union  right.  The  shock  was  as  unexpected  as  it  was 
impetuous.  Two  batteries  were  taken  without  firing  a  gun. 
There  was  some  resistance,  but  the  right  was  swept  away  like 
forest  leaves  in  an  autumn  gale.  The  blow  then  fell  on  the 
centre.  Here  Phil.  Sheridan  held  the  fate  of  the  battle.  Out 
flanked  on  either  side,  he  wheeled  back  until  his  lines  finally 
formed  a  wedge  that  pierced  the  advancing  column,  and  could 
not  be  driven.  He  broke  four  charges.  He  fought  until  his  three 
brigade  commanders  were  killed,  his  cartridge-boxes  emptied,  and 
one-quarter  of  his  command  lay  bleeding  and  dying,  when,  with 
fixed  bayonets,  his  men  slowly  withdrew  from  the  cedar  thicket, 
still  unconquered  and  clamoring  for  ammunition.  As  they  passed 
Rosecrans,  for  whom  they  had  saved  the  day,  Sheridan  said, 
gloomily,  "  Here's  all  that's  left  of  us,  general." 

Meanwhile,  Rosecrans  had  been  busy.  With  consummate 
skill,  he  had  arranged  a  new  line  of  battle  along  the  railroad  and 
turnpike.  The  gray-coats  soon  emerged  from  the  thicket,  driving 
a  cloud  of  fugitives  before  them.  Rosecrans's  men  held  their  fire 
as  was  the  wont  in  Revolutionary  days.  When  the  Confederate 
columns  drew  near,  there  suddenly  burst  upon  them  a  sheet  of 
flame  from  cannon  and  musket.  Four  times  they  tried  to  face  this 
"  burning  sirocco,"  and  four  times  they  fell  back  to  the  protection 
of  the  cedars.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  Breckenridge  went  across 
the  river  to  make  a  final  assault  on  the  Union  left ;  but  in  vain. 

New  Year's  day  1863,  found  the  two  armies  still  face  to  face. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  of  January  2d,  Breckenridge's  troops,  having 
recrossed  the  river,  suddenly  emerged  from  the  woods  in  three 
heavy  columns.  The  tactics  of  Wednesday  were  repeated  and 
now  the  Union  left  was  forced  to  the  stream.  But  as  the  South 
erners  came  within  the  range  of  the  Federal  guns  on  the  opposite 
bank,  their  lines  were  torn  with  a  fire  before  which  they  broke 


OPERATIONS    ON    THE    MISSISSIPPI.  509 

and  fled.  The  next  night,  Bragg  retreated,  leaving  to  Rosecrans 
the  blood-stained  field.  This  was  one  of  the  most  fiercely-fought 
battles  of  the  war,  the  loss  being  one-quarter  of  the  number 
engaged. 

Meantime,  Grant,  having  been  reinforced,  had  continued  the 
task  of  reopening  the  Mississippi.  His  plan  was  to  advance  along 
the  Mississippi  Central  Railroad,  while  Sherman  should  descend 
the  river  with  Commodore  Porter's  fleet,  and  all  combine  in  an 
attack  on  Vicksburg.  Everything  was  progressing  favorably, 
when  Van  Dorn,  by  a  brilliant  dash  with  his  cavalry,  December 
2oth,  captured  Grant's  depot  at  Holly  Springs,  and  destroyed 
two  million  dollars  worth  of  supplies.  This  broke  up  the  entire 
arrangement.  Sherman,  ignorant  of  the  disaster,  landed  on  the 
Yazoo  River,  and  made  an  attack  on  Chickasaw  Bayou,  north  of 
Vicksburg,  but  suffered  a  disastrous  repulse.  General  McCler- 
nand  then  assumed  command,  and  as  the  army  returned,  an  ex 
pedition  was  sent  up  the  Arkansas  River,  which  captured  Fort 
Hindman,  January  11,  1863. 

The  effort  just  described  to  open  the  Mississippi  from  the 
North  was  seconded  by  a  powerful  expedition  from  the  Gulf. 
Early  in  the  spring,  Captain,  afterward  Commodore,  Farragut, 
with  a  fleet  of  forty-seven  armed  vessels  carrying  several  thou 
sand  troops  under  General  Butler,  attempted  the  capture  of  New 
Orleans.  The  mortar  boats  anchored  under  the  banks  and  bom 
barded  Forts  Jackson  and  St.  Philip,  which  defended  the  approach 
to  the  city  by  the  river.  To  conceal  the  vessels,  they  were  dressed 
with  leafy  branches,  which  rendered  them  undistinguishable  from 
the  green  woods.  The  direction  had  been  accurately  calculated,  so 
that  the  gunners  did  not  need  to  see  the  points  toward  which  they 
were  to  aim.  For  six  days  and  nights  they  continued  to  throw 
into  the  forts  about  fourteen  hundred  thirteen-inch  shells  every 
twenty-four  hours.  So  severe  was  the  fire,  that  "  windows  at  the 
Balize,  thirty  miles  distant,  were  broken.  Fish,  stunned  by  the 
explosion,  lay  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  Overcome 
with  fatigue,  the  commanders  and  crews  of  the  bomb-vessels 
might  be  seen  lying  fast  asleep  on  deck,  with  a  mortar  on  board 
the  vessel  next  to  them  thundering  away."  The  bombs  pene 
trated  the  ground  in  and  about  the  forts  eighteen  or  twenty  feet, 
and,  exploding,  lifted  the  earth  high  in  air.  Very  little  real  dam 
age,  however,  was  done  to  the  works,  as  the  earth  fell  back  to  its 
place  again. 


5io 


SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


TApril  24, 
-     I8( 


1862. 


Finding  that  this  bombardment,  terrible  as  it  seemed,  was 
really  full  of  sound  and  fury,  signifying  nothing,  Farragut  boldly 
resolved  to  run  the  fleet  past  the  defences.  The  gun-boats  were 
accordingly  armored  extempore  by  looping  two  layers  of  chain- 
cables  along  the  sides,  while  the  boilers  were  protected  by  bags 
of  sand  and  coal.  The  Confederates  had  closed  the  river  by  a 
heavy  chain  supported  on  several  old  hulks  anchored  in  the 
stream.  This  cable  was  cut  during  the  night,  and  the  current 
soon  opened  a  passage.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  April 
24th,  the  ships  advanced,  pouring  grape  and  canister  into  the  forts 


BIRD  S-EYE   VIEW    OF   NEW   OKLEA 


at  short  range,  and  receiving  in  return  heavy  volleys  from  all  the 
batteries  on  shore.  After  running  a  fearful  gauntlet  of  shot,  shell, 
and  the  flames  of  fire-rafts,  they  next  encountered  the  Confederate 
fleet  of  thirteen  armed  steamboats,  the  steam-battery  Louisiana, 
and  the  iron-plated  ram  Manassas.  The  flag-ship  Hartford  caught 
fire,  and  was  forced  on  shore ;  but  the  men  kept  their  places  at  the 
guns,  the  flames  were  extinguished,  the  ship  was  backed  off  and 
again  pushed  to  the  front.  After  a  desperate  struggle,  twelve  of 
the  Confederate  flotilla  were  destroyed,  and  the  Federal  fleet  then 
steamed  up  to  New  Orleans. 

The  Southern  troops  had  nearly  all  been  sent  to  take  part  in 
the  battle  of  Shiloh,  and  the  city  now  lay  helpless  under  the  Union 
guns.  Vast  quantities  of  cotton,  together  with  loaded  steamers 


CAPTURE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS.  511 

and  the  shipping  of  the  port,  were  burned  by  the  Confederate 
authorities.  Pollard  says :  "  No  sooner  had  the  fleet  turned  the 
point  and  come  within  sight  of  the  city,  than  the  work  of  destruc 
tion  commenced.  Vast  columns  of  smoke  darkened  the  face  of 
heaven  and  obscured  the  noon-day  sun ;  for  five  miles  along  the 
levee  fierce  flames  darted  through  the  lurid  atmosphere.  Great 
ships  and  steamers  wrapped  in  fire  floated  down  the  river,  threat 
ening  the  Federal  vessels  with  destruction.  Fifteen  thousand  bales 
of  cotton,  worth  one  and  a  half  million  dollars,  were  consumed. 
About  a  dozen  large  river  steamboats,  twelve  or  fifteen  ships,  a 
great  floating  battery,  several  unfinished  gun-boats,  the  immense 
ram  Mississippi,  and  the  docks  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  were 
all  embraced  in  the  fiery  sacrifice."  Amid  this  scene  of  dire 
destruction  the  alarm-bells  were  perpetually  tolling. 

The  forts  below,  being  threatened  by  the  troops  under  Butler, 
soon  after  surrendered.  Farragut  then  ascended  the  river,  took 
possession  of  Baton  Rouge  and  Natchez,  and,  running  the  bat 
teries  at  Vicksburg,  joined  the  Union  fleet  above. 

The  contest  in  Missouri  culminated  early  in  the  season.  The 
Confederates  under  General  Price,  having  been  roughly  handled 
in  February  by  General  Pope,  had  retreated  into  Arkansas, 
keenly  pursued  by  the  Federals  under  General  Samuel  R.  Curtis. 
Price  had  been  joined  by  some  Arkansas  and  Texas  troops  under 
General  Benjamin  McCulloch.  He  was  also  reinforced  by  Gen 
eral  Albert  Pike  with  a  brigade  of  Indians,  and  by  Major-General 
Van  Dorn,  who  took  command  of  the  army,  then  nearly  twenty 
thousand  strong.  He  resumed  the  offensive,  and  struck  at  the 
division  of  General  Franz  Sigel  in  Bentonville.  That  officer 
retired  with  great  skill  upon  General  Curtis,  who  concentrated 
his  troops  in  a  strong  position  at  Pea  Ridge.  A  desperate  strug 
gle  took  place  March  /th,  which  lasted  all  day,  the  Union  troops 
being  worsted.  The  next  day  Curtis  made  a  new  disposition  of 
his  forces,  carrying  everything  before  him  until  the  middle  of  the 
forenoon,  when  the  enemy  suddenly  disappeared  from  the  front. 
So  skillfully  was  the  retreat  conducted  by  obscure  ravines,  that  it 
was  afternoon  before  the  Federal  officers  could  find  out  what  road 
Van  Dorn  had  taken.  The  Union  loss  was  about  thirteen  hun 
dred  ;  the  Confederate  could  not  have  been  less,  and  included 
Generals  McCulloch  and  Mclntosh  killed,  and  Generals  Price 
and  Slack  wounded.  Soon  after  this,  both  the  Union  and  Con 
federate  armies  were  weakened  by  detachments  sent  to  take 


512  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [1862. 

part  in  the  terrible  struggle  going  on  in  Tennessee.  No  import 
ant  battles,  therefore,  occurred  either  in  Arkansas  or  in  Missouri. 
There  were  some  minor  engagements,  but  they  had  little  effect  on 
the  issue  of  the  war.  The  whole  country,  however,  was  harried 
by  guerilla  bands,  which  plundered  friend  and  foe  alike.  Mis 
souri  became  a  land  of  desolation  and  death. 

As  this  was  the  only  appearance  of  the  Indians  on  the  battle 
fields  of  the  war,  it  is  interesting  to  notice  their  behavior.  It  is 
said  that  the  white  officers  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  them  in 
order,  and  that  their  principal  service  was  in  consuming  rations. 
They  were  greatly  alarmed  by  the  guns  which  ran  around  on 
wheels,  by  the  falling  of  the  trees  behind  which  they  had  taken 
shelter,  and  by  the  roar  of  battle  which  drowned  their  loudest 
war-whoop. 

During  the  winter  of  1861-2,  another  important  step  was  taken 
toward  the  enforcement  of  the  blockade  along  the  Atlantic  coast. 
General  Burnside,  with  eleven  thousand  men,  and  Flag-Officer 
Goldsborough,  in  command  of  the  fleet,  conducted  an  expedition 
against  Roanoke,  memorable  as  the  scene  of  Raleigh's  lost  colony. 
This  island  was  the  key  to  the  rear  defences  of  Norfolk.  "  It 
unlocks,"  said  General  Wise,  "  two  sounds,  eight  rivers,  four 
canals,  and  two  railroads;"  and  commands  the  seaboard  from 
Capes  Henry  to  Hatteras.  The  Confederate  forts  were  captured 
February  8th,  and  their  fleet  was  destroyed.  Elizabeth  City  and 
Newbern  were  occupied.  Finally,  on  the  very  day  Farragut 
appeared  before  New  Orleans,  Fort  Macon,  at  the  entrance  to 
Beaufort  harbor,  was  taken.  Thus  all  the  coast  of  North  Caro 
lina,  with  its  intricate  network  of  water  communication  through 
Pamlico  and  Albemarle  Sounds,  fell  into  the  Union  hands ;  while 
the  blockading  squadron  secured  a  convenient  depot  of  supplies 
and  a  safe  rendezvous  from  storms. 

Port  Royal,  which  was  captured  in  the  autumn  of  1861, 
became  during  this  year  the  base  of  operations  against  Florida 
and  Georgia.  These  States  had  been  denuded  of  their  strength 
to  reinforce  the  Confederate  armies,  the  former  alone  having  fur 
nished  ten  thousand  men.  They,  therefore,  became  an  easy  prey 
to  the  powerful  expeditions  which  were  sent  against  them. 
Fernandina,  Fort  Clinch,  Jacksonville,  Darien,  and  St.  Augustine 
were  captured. 

In  the  spring,  General  Quincy  A.  Gillmore  laid  siege  to  Fort 
Pulaski.  The  walls  of  this  stronghold  were  seven  and  a  half  feet 


M|8628']  THE    MONITOR    AND    MERRIMAC.  513 

thick,  and  the  Union  batteries  were  a  mile,  and  some  two  miles 
away.  Yet  the  pointed  balls  from  the  rifled  guns  penetrated  from 
twenty  to  twenty-six  inches  into  the  masonry,  and  honeycombed 
it  completely ;  while  the  solid  ten-inch  shot,  pounding  like  trip 
hammers,  knocked  out  the  loosened  pieces.  In  fifteen  hours  of 
fighting,  the  fort  was  compelled  to  surrender.  This  capture 
effectually  closed  the  port  of  Savannah.  At  the  end  of  the  year, 
every  city  of  the  Atlantic  sea-coast,  except  Savannah,  Charleston, 
and  Mobile,  was  held  by  the  Federal  armies. 

We  now  turn  from  the  minor  operations,  as  it  were,  of  the  fleet, 
to  the  great  naval  event  of  the  war.  When  the  United  States 
navy-yard  at  Norfolk  was  abandoned,  the  steam-frigate  Merrimac, 
the  finest  in  the  service,  was  scuttled.  The  Confederates  after 
ward  raised  her,  razeed  her  deck,  and  fitted  her  with  an  iron  prow 
and  a  sloping  roof  plated  with  four  and  a  third  inches  of  iron. 
She  was  christened  the  Virginia,  though  still  generally  known  as 
the  Merrimac.  About  noon,  March  8th,  the  last  day  of  the 
desperate  struggle  at  Pea  Ridge,  this  strange  craft,  looking  not 
unlike  a  great  house  sunk  in  the  water  to  its  eaves,  steamed 
out  into  Hampton  Roads.  She  was  convoyed  by  several  gun 
boats.  Disdaining  to  fire  a  shot,  she  steered  directly  for  the  sloop- 
of-war  Cumberland,  whose  terrific  broadsides  glanced  harmlessly, 
like  rubber  balls,  from  the  monster's  iron  roof.  Her  sharp  beak, 
striking  squarely  under  the  bow,  made  a  hole  large  enough  for  a 
man  to  enter.  This  terrible  blow  disabled  the  Cumberland,  but 
her  heroic  crew  continued  to  work  their  guns,  until  the  vessel, 
with  all  on  board,  plunged  beneath  the  water.  Her  flag  was  never 
struck,  and  floated  from  her  masthead  after  the  ship  had  gone  to 
the  bottom. 

Warned  by  the  fate  of  his  companion,  the  captain  of  the  frigate 
Congress,  on  the  approach  of  the  Merrimac,  ran  his  vessel  ashore  ; 
but  the  iron-clad,  taking  a  position  astern,  deliberately  fired  shells 
into  her  till  the  helpless  crew  was  forced  to  surrender.  Mean 
while,  the  steam-frigate  Minnesota,  coming  to  the  relief  of  her 
consorts,  grounded.  Exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  gun-boats  and  an 
occasional  shot  from  the  Merrimac,  she  lay  at  the  mercy  of  her 
foes.  The  Merrimac,  at  sunset,  returned  to  Norfolk,  awaiting, 
the  next  day,  an  easy  victory  over  the  rest  of  the  Union  fleet. 
All  was  now  delight  and  anticipation  among  the  Confederates ;  all 
was  dismay  and  dismal  forebodings  among  the  Federals. 

That  night  the  Monitor  arrived  in  the  bay,  after  a  tedious 
33 


514  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [M|8629' 

voyage  from  New  York,  where  she  had  been  building,  in  order  to 
meet  the  long-expected  Merrimac.  This  "  Yankee  cheese-box  on 
a  raft,"  as  it  was  called,  was  the  invention  of  Captain  Ericsson.  It 
was  the  hull  of  a  vessel  with  the  deck  a  few  inches  above  the  water. 
The  upper  part,  which  was  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire,  projected 
several  feet  beyond  the  lower  portion,  and  was  made  of  thick  white 
oak  covered  with  iron  plating  five  inches  thick  on  the  sides  and 
two  inches  on  deck.  In  the  centre  of  the  ship  was  a  curious 
round,  shot-proof  tower,  made  to  revolve  slowly  by  machinery 
connected  with  the  engine,  thus  turning  its  two  heavy  guns  in 
every  direction. 

Sunday  morning  dawned,  bright  and  beautiful.     Heedless  of 
its  sanctity,  the  Merrimac  again  appeared  to  complete  the  destruc- 


NAVAL  DUEL  BETWEEN  THE  MONITOR  AND  THE  MERRIMAC. 

tion  of  the  Minnesota.  Suddenly,  from  under  the  lee  of  that  ship, 
the  Monitor  darted  out,  and  hurled  at  the  monster  two  one  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  pound  balls.  Startled  by  the  appearance  of  this 
unexpected  and  queer-looking  antagonist,  the  Merrimac  poured  in 
a  broadside,  such  as  the  night  before  had  destroyed  the  Congress ; 
but  the  balls  glanced  off  the  Monitor's  turret,  or  broke  and  fell 
in  pieces  on  the  deck. 

Then  began  the  battle  of  the  iron  ships.  It  was  the  first  of 
the  kind  in  the  world.  Close  against  each  other,  iron  rasping 
against  iron,  they  exchanged  their  tremendous  volleys.  One 
heavy  bolt  hit  the  Monitor's  turret  squarely,  but  broke  and  left 
the  head  sticking  in  the  iron  armor.  Repeatedly  the  Merrimac 
tried  to  run  down  the  Monitor,  but  her  huge  beak  only  grated 
over  the  iron  deck,  while  the  Monitor  glided  out  unharmed ; 
and  in  return,  each  time  as  she  slipped  away,  gave  her  answer 


THE    PENINSULAR    CAMPAIGN.  515 

from  both  the  huge  eleven-inch  guns  in  her  turret.  Drawing 
so  little  water,  she  nimbly  steamed  about  her  adversary  on 
every  side  seeking  a  weak  point  to  put  in  a  ball.  Again  and 
again  the  Merrimac  sought  to  grapple  with  the  Minnesota,  but  the 
Monitor  quickly  interposed.  At  last,  despairing  of  doing  any 
thing  with  her  doughty  little  antagonist,  and  being  herself  some 
what  damaged,  the  Merrimac  steamed  back  to  Norfolk.  As  she 
drew  off,  she  hurled  a  parting  shot  which,  striking  the  Monitor's 
pilot-house,  broke  a  bar  of  iron  nine  inches  by  twelve,  and  seriously 
injured  the  eyes  of  the  gallant  commander,  Lieutenant  Worden, 
who  was  at  that  moment  looking  out  through  a  narrow  slit  and 
directing  the  fire  of  his  guns.  As  he  recovered  his  conscious 
ness,  his  first  words  were,  " Did  we  save  the  Minnesota?" 

The  effect  of  this  victory  was  most  important.  Had  the  Moni 
tor  not  appeared,  the  Merrimac  would  in  all  probability  have 
destroyed  the  rest  of  the  Union  fleet,  thence  she  might  have 
ascended  the  Potomac  and  laid  the  Capitol  under  her  guns ; 
steamed  to  New  York  and  sunk  its  shipping ;  or  broken  up  the 
blockade  and  made  an  egress  for  cotton.  A  different  result  might 
have  changed  the  issue  of  the  war. 

The  fate  of  these  two  historic  vessels  was  strangely  mean  and 
unworthy.  The  Merrimac  was  blown  up  on  the  evacuation  of 
Norfolk  a  few  months  after,  and  the  Monitor  foundered  at  sea. 

Having  now  traced  the  war  at  the  west  and  along  the  coast, 
we  return  to  the  army  of  the  Potomac.  McClellan  made  no 
forward  movement  on  Washington's  birthday,  notwithstanding 
the  general  order.  It  was  not  till  March  loth  that  his  forces  were 
set  in  motion.  Through  the  mud  and  rain  they  at  last  plodded  to 
Manassas,  only  to  find  to  their  chagrin  that  the  position  had  been 
abandoned  the  day  before,  and  that  the  entrenchments  behind 
which  the  Confederates  had  sat  for  nearly  a  year  were  quite  in 
significant,  and  armed  largely  with  Quaker  guns — i.  e.,  wooden 
logs  shaped  and  painted  to  imitate  cannon.  By  the  skillful 
strategy  of  Johnston,  the  enemy  had  escaped  without  the  loss  of 
a  wagon  or  a  man. 

Against  the  President's  judgment,  McClellan  had  long  insisted 
that  the  easiest  way  to  reach  Richmond,  the  objective  point  of  the 
war  at  the  east,  was  by  the  Peninsula.  Having  gained  a  reluctant 
consent  to  execute  his  plan,  the  army  of  the  Potomac  was  rapidly 
transferred  down  the  river,  from  Washington  to  Fortress  Monroe, 
by  a  fleet  of  three  hundred  and  eighty-nine  vessels.  McClellan, 


5i6 


SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


being  relieved  of  all  responsibility  except  that  of  his  immediate 
command,  left  the  capital  April  ist.  Having  arrived  at  the  for 
tress,  he  undertook  the  second  "  On  to  Richmond  "  movement. 

The  Union  army  was  over  one  hundred  thousand  strong.  The 
troops  were  full  of  enthusiasm.  Weary  of  their  tedious  and 
inglorious  encampment  around  Washington,  they  were  glad  to 
take  the  field.  The  orders  to  march  the  next  morning  with  five- 
days  rations  were,  therefore,  heard  with  cheers,  and  the  exultant 
men  heaped  high  the  fires  with  rails  and  tree-tops.  The  camp  that 
night  presented  a  beautiful  scene — the  very  poetry  of  war.  The 
new  moon  hung  low  in  the  western  sky,  and  the  bright  stars 
looked  down  wonderingly  through  the  soft,  pure  air.  The  forest 
trees  cast  long  shadows  over  stacked  arms,  and  watch  fires,  and 
pacing  sentinels,  and  groups  of  boys  in  blue — some  writing  home 
to  loved  ones,  some  cooking,  some  burnishing  their  arms,  and 
some  cracking  the  merry  jest.  Bands  of  music  were  playing,  and 
through  the  trees  stole,  strangely  blended,  the  strains  of  "  Dixie  " 
and  of  "Auld  Lang  Syne."  Hours  passed,  and  one  by  one  the 
stars  sank,  the  fires  died  away,  and  the  soldiers 
dropped  on  the  grass  to  rest,  until,  at  last,  quiet 

settled   down    over    the 
white  city  of  tents. 

At  Yorktown,  McClel- 
lan  found  General  Ma- 
gruder  with  a  Confeder 
ate  division  of  about  five 
thousand  men,  exclusive 
of  small  garrisons,  de 
fending  a  line  thirteen 
miles  long,  reaching  en 
tirely  across  the  Penin 
sula.  Instead  of  breaking  through  at  some  weak  point  with  his 
overwhelming  force,  he  set  his  magnificent  army  down  in  the 
swamps,  to  begin  a  regular  siege.  Heavy  guns  were  ordered 
from  Washington ;  miles  of  corduroy  road  were  built ;  and  the 
open  fields  were  filled  with  ditches  and  entrenchments.  Mean 
while,  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  had  reinforced  the  Confeder 
ates  with  the  troops  from  Manassas ;  while  the  Federals,  unused 
to  the  climate,  were  sickening  and  dying  by  thousands.  The 
spade  was  found  quite  as  useful  in  digging  graves  as  in  raising 
fortifications.  Just  as  McClellan  was  ready  to  open  fire,  Johnston 


MAP   OF  THE   PENINSULA. 


BATTLE    OF    WILLIAMSBURG. 


517 


BUILDING   A   CORDUROY   ROAD   THROUGH    A   SWAMP. 


quietly  retired  up  the  Peninsula  toward  Richmond.  Again,  as 
at  Winchester  and  at  Manassas,  he  had  given  his  enemy  the  slip. 

A  rapid  pursuit  was  at  once  made.  The  Confederate  rear 
guard,  afterward  reinforced  by  Longstreet's  division,  took  post  at 
Williamsburg,  in  order  to  gain  time  for  the  baggage-trains.  At 
this  point,  Fort  Magruder,  with  thirteen  redoubts,  commanded 
all  the  roads  leading  northward.  About  half-past  five  o'clock  in 
the  morning  of  May  5th,  General  Joseph  Hooker,  "  Fighting  Joe," 
as  he  was  called,  came  up  with  his  division,  and  at  once  ordered  an 
attack.  For  nine  long,  bloody  hours  he  continued  the  struggle. 
His  ammunition  was  exhausted,  and  the  living  gathered  the  car 
tridges  from  the  boxes  of  the  dead.  Thirty  thousand  Union  troops, 
many  of  them  in  line  of  battle  and  anxious  to  share  the  danger, 
stood  within  sound  of  his  guns,  and  yet  none  of  them  were  sent  to 
his  help.  In  the  afternoon,  General  Philip  Kearney  threw  his  men 
to  the  front,  and  took  the  brunt  of  the  struggle.  Later,  General 
D.  N.  Couch  arrived  with  his  division.  McClellan  came  upon 
the  field  with  his  brilliant  staff"  after  the  contest  was  decided. 

That  night  the  Union  troops,  exhausted  by  the  day's  march 
and  fight,  lay  in  the  rain  and  mud,  many  of  them  without  food, 
shelter,  or  fire.  In  the  morning,  to  their  surprise,  they  awoke 


5l8  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

not  to  renew  the  battle,  but  to  find  the  fort  empty.  Johnston, 
having  accomplished  his  end,  had  quietly  drawn  off  his  men,  and 
they  were  already  out  of  reach. 

The  scene  which  the  field  presented  upon  that  bright,  sunny 
day  was  a  far  different  one  from  that  of  the  happy,  starlight 
evening  which  preceded  the  Union  march  up  the  Peninsula. 
The  dead  and  wounded  of  both  armies  lay  thick  through  the 
swamp  and  the  miry  road  in  front  of  Magruder.  The  trees 
were  scarred  by  bullets  and  shells.  Knapsacks,  haversacks,  guns, 
horses  and  equipments,  the  wreck  of  battle,  strewed  the  ground. 
At  one  point,  behind  a  fence,  a  hundred  dead  bodies  lay  in  a 
broad  windrow,  as  they  had  stood  in  rank.  Here  one  soldier 
was  surrounded  by  five  whom  he  had  slain  ere  he  fell.  There 
a  man  was  shot  while  eating  his  lunch  ;  part  of  the  broken  bis 
cuit  yet  remained  in  his  hands  ;  over  the  remainder  his  mouth 
had  stiffened  in  his  sudden  death-agony.  By  the  roadside  reposed 
a  boy  apparently  not  over  fourteen ;  the  lower  part  of  his  body 
was  buried  in  the  mud,  but  the  rain  had  washed  his  upturned 
face,  and  it  looked  calm  and  peaceful,  as  if,  in  a  quiet  slumber,  he 
were  still  dreaming  of  home  and  mother.  Close  by  was  a  strong 
man,  stretched  at  full  length,  with  stiffened  limbs  and  corded 
muscles,  as  though  fighting  to  the  last  even  against  death. 
Another  had  received  the  fatal  shot  while,  with  extended  arm,  he 
was  in  the  act  of  ramming  down  a  ball ;  by  a  strange  coincidence 
he  had  fallen  against  a  tree  that  supported  him  in  nearly  an  upright 
position  ;  and  there  he  stood,  still  and  white,  like  a  grim  figure  in  a 
tableau.  A  rifleman  was  biting  off  his  cartridge  as  the  deadly  ball 
entered  his  breast ;  he  merely  pressed  more  tightly  his  teeth  and 
clutched  his  fingers  over  the  crumpled  paper.  Back  of  a  fallen 
tree,  seven  soldiers,  each  with  a  ghastly  red  spot  in  the  forehead, 
reclined  side  by  side,  as  if  taking  a  noon-tide  rest. 

Fatigue  parties  were  busy  burying  the  dead  and  bringing  in 
the  wounded.  The  latter  had  often,  in  their  blind  fear,  crawled 
away  into  the  woods  and  hidden  under  the  leaves  and  logs,  where 
they  were  found  only  by  the  most  careful  search,  whence,  damp 
and  mouldy,  they  were  borne  in  on  stretchers.  A  barn  was  taken 
as  a  hospital.  The  floor  was  covered  with  the  maimed,  whose 
matted  hair,  soiled  garments,  and  undressed  wounds  touched 
every  heart.  By  the  door  were  three  tables  surrounded  by  sur 
geons,  while  cut-off  limbs,  ragged  and  torn,  lay  in  heaps  upon  the 
ground.  There  was  no  soft  bed,  no  delicate  food,  no  cooling 


jalJ'J  BEFORE    RICHMOND.  519 

drinks,  no  tender  care ;  instead,  there  were  heaps  of  corn-husks, 
"  hard-tack  "  and  salt  pork,  rough  men  who  could  only  try  to  be 
gentle,  and,  above  all,  the  hot  sun  pouring  on  the  roof  and  heating 
the  air,  alive  with  groans  and  shrieks  and  foul  with  sickening 
odors.  The  dead  were  buried  side  by  side  in  long  trenches,  near 
where  they  had  fallen.  Over  one  grave  a  comrade  was  seen  to 
twine  some  green  boughs,  smooth  the  earth,  and  then,  reverently, 
to  place  at  the  head  a  piece  of  paper  with  the  name  written  upon 
it,  a  simple  tribute  of  a  loving  heart. 

The  next  day  the  scene  was  strangely  changed.  High  officers 
were  gayly  prancing  by,  dashing  Zouaves  flitting  around  like 
butterflies,  heavy  batteries  lumbering  along  the  road,  brass  bands 
discoursing  brilliant  music  ;  while  long  lines  of  plain  blue  uni 
forms  and  uplifted  bayonets  led  off  the  eye  to  the  distance,  where 
the  glittering  steel  blended  into  a  mass  of  burnished  metal.  The 
abattis  before  Magruder,  by  some  chance,  had  been  fired,  and  the 
flames  had  crept  over  the  battle-field,  consuming  in  one  funeral 
pyre  friend  and  foe.  Dense,  black  volumes  of  smoke  rolled  up  to 
the  heavens  and  rested  like  a  pall  over  that  scene  of  slaughter. 
Beneath,  the  fire  hissed  and  sparkled,  wrapping  the  unburied 
dead  in  a  shroud  of  flame,  while  long  tongues  leaped  out  and 
lapped  up  the  dry  leaves,  or  coiled  around  and  crawled  up  the 
huge  pines,  which  burned  and  crackled  until  they  looked  in  the 
heated  air  like  blood-red  pillars. 

McClellan,  now  unopposed,  slowly  followed  the  retreating 
army.  Nearly  two  weeks  were  consumed  in  marching  less  than 
fifty  miles.  This  brought  the  Union  advance  within  sight  of  the 
steeples  of  Richmond.  In  that  city  all  was  confusion.  The  Con 
federate  Congress  hastily  adjourned.  Davis  sent  his  family  to 
Carolina,  and  the  trains  were  crowded  with  fleeing  women  and 
children.  General  Irvin  McDowell,  who  was  at  Fredericksburg 
with  thirty  thousand  men,  was  daily  expected  to  reinforce 
McClellan.  General  Fitz  John  Porter  had  been  sent  out  upon  the 
Union  right,  and,  after  a  sharp  skirmish,  had  taken  Hanover 
Court-House,  in  order  to  facilitate  the  junction.  McClellan  was 
apparently  only  awaiting  the  advent  of  this  reinforcement  before 
making  the  final  and  long-anticipated  assault  upon  the  Confed- 
erate  capital. 

Johnston  saw  the  danger,  and,  too  shrewd  to  let  the  blow  fall 
as  intended,  resolved  to  parry  it.  Stonewall  Jackson,  being  re 
inforced,  was  ordered  to  ascend  the  Shenandoah  and  threaten 


520 


SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


TMay-Ju 
L      1862. 


June, 


Washington.  This  indefatigable  officer  moved  up  the  valley  like 
a  whirlwind,  captured  Front  Royal,  and  then  dashed  after  Gen 
eral  Nathaniel  P.  Banks  at  Strasburg,  who  escaped  with  his  men 
across  the  Potomac  only  by  marching  in  one  day  thirty -five  miles. 
Washington  was  thrown  into  a  ferment  of  excitement.  The  gov 
ernment  took  military  possession  of  all  the  railroads.  Troops 
were  called  from  every  direction  to  save  the  Capitol.  Fremont 
at  Franklin,  Banks  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  McDowell  at  Freder- 
icksburg,  three  major-generals  and  sixty  thousand  men,  were 

ordered  to  intercept  Jack 
son.  But  that  valiant  leader 
was  as  skillful  in  retreat  as 
he  was  bold  in  advance,  and 
rapidly  fell  back,  burning 
the  bridges  behind  him.  He 
had  a  slight  brush  with  his 
pursuers  at  Cross-Keys,  and 
another  at  Port  Republic, 
where,  dexterously  dodg 
ing  between  Fremont  and 
McDowell,  he  darted  across 
the  Shenandoah,  and  then 
hurried  back  to  take  his 
place  under  Johnston  in  the 
Peninsula. 

Meanwhile,  stirring 
events  had  transpired  be 
fore  Richmond.  McClel- 

lan  had  incautiously  pushed  his  left  wing  across  the  Chicka- 
hominy  and  taken  possession  of  Seven  Pines  and  Fair  Oaks.  Just 
then  a  terrible  storm  came  on,  which  flooded  the  swamps  and 
turned  that  sluggish  creek  into  a  roaring  river.  Johnston  seized 
the  opportunity,  and  concentrated  his  army  on  the  exposed  wing. 
General  Silas  Casey's  division,  which  was  the  first  attacked,  had 
never  before  been  under  fire,  and  now  received  the  shock  of 
nearly  double  its  number  of  Longstreet's  veterans.  The  first 
warning  of  the  battle  was  from  two  rifle-shells,  which  suddenly 
flew  screaming  over  the  camp.  The  men  stood  hurriedly  to 
arms,  as  the  rapid  picket-firing  told  of  the  nearness  of  the  danger. 
They  gallantly  held  some  slight  entrenchments  in  their  front  until 
the  second  line  under  Couch  had  time  to  take  position.  The 


GENERAL  GEORGE   B.    MCCLELLAN. 


May|3862U.nel>]  BATTLE    OF    FAIR    OAKS.  $21 

Confederates,  however,  swept  all  before  them,  and  seemed  likely 
to  seize  Bottom's  bridge  upon  the  Chickahominy,  and  thus  en 
tirely  cut  off  the  left  wing  from  the  centre.  In  this  moment  of 
peril,  General  Sedgwick's  division  of  Sumner's  corps  crossed 
upon  a  tottering  log  bridge,  and  hauled  over  a  battery  of  twenty- 
four  Napoleon  guns.  Following  the  roar  of  the  cannon,  they  soon 
came  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  checked  the  Confederate  col 
umn,  and  drove  it  back  headlong  upon  Fair  Oaks  station.  Just 
at  sunset,  General  Johnston  was  badly  wounded  by  a  shell.  The 
loss  of  their  commander  was  fatal,  and,  though  the  Confederates 
renewed  the  contest  the  next  morning,  they  were  easily  repulsed. 
Conspicuous  for  his  bravery  in  this  engagement  was  General 
Kearney,  who  had  lost  an  arm  at  the  gates  of  Mexico.  Taking 
his  bridle  in  his  teeth  and  his  sword  in  his  left  hand,  he  led  his  men 
in  the  most  dashing  charges.  During  the  thickest  of  the  battle, 

"  Up  came  the  reserves  to  the  mellay  infernal, 

Asking  where  to  go  in — through  the  clearing  or  pine  ?  " 

To  which  the  gallant  Kearney,  who  "  snuffed,  like  his  charger, 
the  wind  of  the  powder,"  shouted  back, 

"  '  Oh,  anywhere  !     Forward  !    'Tis  all  the  same,  Colonel : 
You'll  find  lovely  fighting  along  the  whole  line  !  ' ' 

McClellan  made  no  attempt  to  follow  up  his  success  at  Fair 
Oaks.  Nearly  a  month  of  inactivity  succeeded.  Almost  three 
months  had  elapsed  since  he  landed  at  Fortress  Monroe.  His 
unaccountable  delay  had  given  the  Confederates  time  to  pass  the 
conscription  law,  enroll  troops,  and  collect  the  largest  force  they 
had  yet  put  in  the  field.  General  Robert  E.  Lee,  who  succeeded 
Johnston  in  command  of  the  "Army  of  Northern  Virginia,"  having 
thoroughly  fortified  Richmond,  was  anxious  to  strike  a  blow 
which  should  be  more  telling  than  the  one  delivered  at  Seven 
Pines.  General  Stuart,  with  fifteen  hundred  picked  cavalry,  was 
accordingly  detached  to  gather  information  concerning  the  de 
fences  on  the  right  and  rear  of  the  Federal  line.  This  dashing 
officer  drove  the  outposts  from  Hanover  Court-House,  destroyed 
a  great  quantity  of  stores  along  the  York  River  railroad  leading 
to  White  House — the  Union  depot  of  supplies — made  the  entire 
circuit  of  McClellan's  army,  and,  throwing  a  bridge  across  the 
Chickahominy,  came  safely  back  into  camp.  He  had  found 


522 


SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


["June, 
LI862. 


no  works  to  hinder  his  march,  and  Lee's  plan  was  quickly 
formed.  He  decided  to  fall  with  all  his  strength  upon  the  Union 
right  wing  at  Mechanicsville,  while  Jackson,  now  daily  expected 
from  the  Shenandoah,  should  advance  still  farther  to  the  left, 
cut  off  the  Federal  communications  with  White  House,  and  then 
attack  their  rear. 

McClellan,  alarmed  by  the  news  of  the  advance  of  Jackson, 
and  disappointed  in  the  non-arrival  of  McDowell,  on  whom  he 

had  counted  to  strengthen  his  right 
wing,  but  who  was  detained  for  the 
defence  of  Washington,  resolved  to 
abandon  the  York  River  railroad 
and  "  change  the  base  "  of  supplies 
to  James  River,  seventeen  miles  dis 
tant.  To  do  this  it  was  necessary 
for  the  right  wing  to  hold  its  posi 
tion  firmly,  while  the  remainder  of 
the  army,  with  the  trains,  forty  miles 
long,  should  traverse  the  narrow  and 
difficult  route  through  the  White 
Oak  Swamp. 

Ere  this  movement  began,  Lee's 
blow   had   fallen.      On   the   26th  of 

of  June,  Generals  A.  P.  Hill  and  Longstreet  crossed  the  Chicka- 
hominy  and  attacked  the  Union  right  at  Mechanicsville.  The 
contest  lasted  till  nine  o'clock  at  night,  when  the  Confederates  were 
repulsed  at  every  point.  At  dawn  the  next  morning,  however, 
General  Porter  withdrew  the  Federal  forces  to  a  strong  position 
at  Gaines's  Mill,  which  covered  the  bridges  connecting  with  the 
main  body  of  the  army.  In  the  afternoon,  the  Confederates 
renewed  their  attacks.  Jackson,  having  joined  them,  fell  upon 
the  Union  flank  with  fearful  force.  It  was  only  by  the  most  des 
perate  exertions,  and  by  repeated  reinforcements,  that  Porter 
managed  to  prevent  a  total  rout.  That  night,  under  cover  of  the 
darkness,  he  retired  to  the  south  bank. 

Up  to  this  time  Lee  had  been  in  doubt  as  to  his  opponent's  in 
tentions,  whether  he  would  try  to  hold  his  position  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Chickahominy,  or,  what  was  most  feared,  throw  all 
his  strength  into  the  left  wing  and  suddenly  hurl  it  into  Richmond, 
which  was  but  slightly  guarded.  A  retrograde  movement  being 
now  apparent,  Lee  ordered  Jackson  to  cross  the  Chickahominy 


GENERAL   ROBERT   E.   LEE. 


June|28662Ju'y2']  THE    SEVEN-DAYS    BATTLES.  523 

and  press  upon  the  Federal  rear,  while  other  columns  were  pushed 
along  the  roads  which  intersected  the  line  of  march. 

On  Sunday,  June  29th,  Magruder  struck  the  flank  of  the  "  vast 
caravan"  at  Savage's  Station.  Here  Sumner  held  the  ground  till 
dark.  Large  quantities  of  supplies  were  destroyed,  and  a  railroad 
train  and  locomotive,  piled  with  military  stores,  was  fired  and  set 
loose  on  the  track,  the  shells  exploding  as  it  flew  wildly  along, 
and,  at  last,  dashed  off  the  broken  bridge  into  the  Chickahominy. 
When  night  came,  abandoning  twenty -five  hundred  sick  and 
wounded  in  the  hospitals,  the  Union  troops  fell  back  through  the 
White  Oak  Swamp. 

The  next  day,  Longstreet  and  A.  P.  Hill,  having  passed  around 
the  swamp,  encountered  the  line  of  march  at  Frazier's  Farm. 
General  McCall's  division  was  then  passing.  The  Confederates 
threw  themselves  with  reckless  valor  upon  the  column,  but  could 
not  break  it.  Jackson  coming  up  on  the  Federal  rear,  found 
the  bridge  over  White  Oak  Creek  destroyed,  and  the  crossing 
held  by  General  Franklin.  Thus  the  admirable  arrangements  of 
McClellan  foiled  every  effort  of  his  adversaries.  During  the  night 
the  Union  army  collected  for  a  final  stand  at  Malvern  Hill. 

Here,  upon  an  elevated  plateau  cleared  of  trees,  about  one  and 
a  half  miles  long  and  three-quarters  of  a  mile  wide,  the  shattered 
fragments  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac  gathered  in  solid  array. 
On  the  sides  of  the  amphitheatre-like  slope  the  cannon  were  ar 
ranged  in  tier  above  tier,  sweeping  every  inch  of  the  glacis  in 
front,  while  gun-boats  lay  on  the  left,  ready  to  hurl  their  ponder 
ous  shells  upon  the  advancing  enemy. 

The  Confederates,  flushed  with  success,  repeatedly  charged 
upon  this  impregnable  position,  but  they  were  repulsed  with  hor 
rible  slaughter.  Strangely  enough,  under  cover  of  the  darkness 
and  a  fearful  tempest,  the  Union  troops  were  ordered  to  flee 
like  a  routed  army  from  their  own  victory.  General  Kearney 
echoed  the  sentiment  of  many  a  patriot  amid  the  disorder  of  that 
midnight  flight  when,  rising  in  his  stirrups,  he  exclaimed,  "  I, 
Philip  Kearney,  an  old  soldier,  enter  my  solemn  protest  against 
this  order  to  retreat.  We  ought,  instead,  to  follow  up  the  enemy 
and  take  Richmond.  And,  in  full  view  of  all  responsibility  of 
such  a  declaration,  I  say  to  you  all  that  such  an  order  can  only  be 
prompted  by  cowardice  or  treason  !  " 

The  Confederates,  staggered  by  the  blows  they  had  received, 
made  no  further  opposition,  and  the  wearied  fugitives  found  rest 


524  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

at  Harrison's  Landing,  where  they  huddled  under  the  cannon  of 
the  friendly  gun-boats.  Lee  had  raised  the  siege  of  Richmond, 
and,  with  not  over  seventy-five  thousand  men,  had  driven  to  a 
calamitous  retreat  an  army  that,  even  after  all  the  disasters  of 
the  seven-days  fight,  still  mustered  eighty -six  thousand  under  its 
colors.  The  losses  of  this  brief  campaign  had  been  fearful,  cer 
tainly  not  less  than  forty  thousand  on  both  sides. 

It  was  expected  that  Lee  would  now  march  upon  Washing 
ton.  McClellan  was  therefore  ordered  to  transfer  his  army  to 
Acquia  Creek,  in  order  to  reinforce  General  Pope,  who  was  sta 
tioned  on  the  Rapidan  in  command  of  the  forces  collected  for  the 
defence  of  the  national  capital.  Lee  immediately  turned  to  crush 
Pope  before  the  troops  from  the  James  River  could  reach  him. 
Meanwhile,  Jackson  having  been  sent  forward,  defeated  General 
Banks  at  Cedar  Mountain,  August  9th;  but,  unable  to  maintain 
his  position,  he  fell  back  upon  Lee's  advancing  army.  Pope,  per 
ceiving  the  fearful  odds  concentrating  upon  him,  retired  behind 
the  Rappahannock.  Lee  thereupon  divided  his  army,  sending 
Jackson  through  Thoroughfare  Gap  to  march  around  Pope's 
right  wing  and  destroy  his  communications  with  Washington; 
while  Longstreet,  with  his  division,  held  his  attention  in  front. 

Pope  then  turned  all  his  strength  on  Jackson,  hoping  to  cut  off 
that  redoubtable  leader  while  thus  separated  from  the  main  body. 
But  mysterious  causes,  among  which  jealousy  has  been  alleged, 
prevented  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  from  co-operating  fully  with 
Pope,  and  he  found  himself  at  last,  August  29th,  on  the  old 
battle-field  of  Manassas,  face  to  face  with  the  whole  Confeder 
ate  army  under  the  firm  hand  of  Lee.  The  positions  of  the  an 
tagonists  were  changed  from  those  of  the  previous  year,  and  the 
Federals  held  the  ground  formerly  occupied  by  the  Confederates. 
That  very  afternoon,  says  Draper,  McClellan  suggested  to  Lincoln 
"  to  leave  Pope  to  get  out  of  his  scrape ;  "  the  President,  reading 
the  message,  fell  back  in  his  chair,  his  honest  heart  horror-stricken 
at  the  thought.  After  two  days  of  fighting,  the  Federal  forces, 
staggering  under  repeated  blows  in  front  and  flank,  reeled  back  to 
Centreville.  Jackson  thereupon  set  out  to  turn  again  Pope's 
right  wing.  A  sharp  conflict  occurred  at  Chantilly,  September  ist, 
in  the  midst  of  a  furious  thunder-storm.  Phil.  Kearney,  dashing 
forward  in  advance,  met  a  Confederate  soldier,  of  whom  he  made 
an  inquiry.  Seeing  his  mistake,  he  wheeled,  when  the  soldier 
fired,  and  this  gallant  officer  fell  mortally  wounded. 


Sept.   5,1 
1862.    J 


LEE    ENTERS    MARYLAND. 


525 


"  Oh,  evil  the  black  shroud  of  night  at  Chantilly 

That  hid  him  from  sight  of  his  brave  men  and  tried  ! 
Foul,  foul  sped  the  bullet  that  clipped  the  white  lily, 

The  flower  of  our  knighthood,  the  whole  army's  pride ! 
Yet  we  dream  that  he  still,  in  that  shadowy  region, 

Where  the  dead  form  their  ranks  at  the  wan  drummer's  sign, 
Rides  on,  as  of  old,  down  the  length  of  his  legion, 

And  the  word  still  is,  Forward  !  along  the  whole  line." — Stedman. 

Pope  steadily 
retired  before  the 
enemy.  Exhausted 
by  constant  march 
ing  and  fighting, 
overwhelmed  by 
numbers,  destitute 
of  ammunition  and 
of  food,  the  remains 
of  the  army  at  last 
found  shelter  be 
hind  the  entrench 
ments  at  Washing 
ton.  Pope  was  here 
relieved  of  his  com 
mand  and  the  na 
tional  forces  again 
placed  under  Mc- 
Clellan,  who,  in  spite 
of  his  failure  on  the  Peninsula,  was  exceedingly  popular  with  the 
troops. 

Lee,  his  army  flushed  with  success,  now  crossed  the  Potomac, 
and  advanced  to  Frederick,  the  bands  playing  the  air  of  "  Mary 
land,  my  Maryland."  That  day,  September  5th,  Bragg  entered 
Kentucky  on  his  grand  raid.  The  movements  were  made  in  con 
cert.  The  North  was  to  be  struck  at  two  points  simultaneously. 
We  have  described  the  result  of  the  western  attempt ;  the  eastern, 
despite  its  brilliant  beginning,  proved  yet  more  unsatisfactory  to 
the  Confederate  cause. 

McClellan,  rapidly  reorganizing  the  Federal  forces,  and  in 
spiring  them  with  the  enthusiasm  of  his  personal  presence  and 
influence,  once  more  took  the  field  against  his  old  antagonist. 
Meanwhile,  Lee  had  sent  Jackson,  with  twenty-five  thousand 
men,  to  capture  Harper's  Ferry,  after  which  he  was  to  rejoin  the 


DEATH  OF  GENERAL  KEARNEY. 


526  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

main  body  at  Hagerstown,  preparatory  to  an  invasion  of  Pennsyl 
vania. 

McClellan,  steadily  following  Lee,  entered  Frederick,  Septem 
ber  1 2th,  just  after  its  evacuation  by  the  Confederates.  Here,  by 
a  singular  piece  of  good  fortune,  he  secured  a  copy  of  Lee's  order 
of  march.  Put  in  possession  of  the  plan  of  his  adversary,  he  saw 
the  danger  of  the  garrison  at  Harper's  Ferry.  Leaving  it,  how 
ever,  to  its  fate,  he  moved  slowly  after  the  main  body.  At  the 
South  Mountain  Gap,  the  Confederate  rear-guard  stubbornly  re 
sisted  his  progress.  But,  outflanked,  it  retreated  under  cover  of 
night,  and  in  the  morning  the  Union  army  poured  into  the  valley 
beyond.  Harper's  Ferry  was  then  being  surrendered  to  Jackson. 

Lee,  now  fairly  brought  to  bay,  took  a  strong  position  behind 
Antietam  Creek.  His  situation  was  perilous.  Jackson,  with  a 
large  portion  of  the  army,  had  not  yet  rejoined  him.  McClellan, 
however,  waited  a  day,  and  that  gave  an  opportunity  for  a  part 
of  the  detached  troops  to  arrive.  Even  then,  Lee  had  only  forty 
thousand  against  McClellan's  eighty  thousand.  Moreover,  half 
his  men  were  in  rags,  and  thousands,  barefooted,  had  traced 
their  path  thither  in  crimson  ;  while  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Potomac  was  a  weary,  gaunt,  and  still  more  ragged  crowd,  left 
behind  because  of  inability  to  keep  pace  with  the  rapid  progress  of 
the  army. 

McClellan's  plan  was  for  General  Hooker  to  fall  upon  the  Con 
federate  left ;  while  Burnside,  as  soon  as  affairs  looked  favorable, 
was  to  carry  the  bridge  over  the  creek  and  attack  their  right.  At 
early  dawn,  Hooker's  men  made  an  impetuous  rush,  driving  Jack 
son's  brigades  into  the  woods,  where  their  reserves,  lying  behind 
rocky  ledges  of  limestone,  occupied  an  almost  impregnable  for 
tress.  A  desperate  struggle  ensued.  Both  antagonists  were 
nearly  destroyed.  When  the  broken  fragments  were  drawn  off, 
the  windrows  of  blue  and  gray  showed  where  the  lines  of  battle 
had  been  mowed  down  by  the  reaper,  death.  Reinforcements 
came  up ;  on  the  Confederate  side,  Hood's  and  then  McLaw's 
and  Walker's  divisions  as  they  arrived  from  Harper's  Ferry ;  on 
the  Union  side,  Mansfield's,  Summer's,  and  finally  Franklin's  corps. 
As  each  came  on  the  field,  the  tide  turned,  and  so  ebbed  to  and 
fro,  marking  its  bloody  passage  with  bruised  and  mangled 
corpses.  It  was  not  till  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  that  Burn- 
side  crossed  the  bridge.  Meanwhile,  Lee  had  been  able  to  con 
centrate  all  his  force  to  resist  the  attack  on  his  left,  and  now 


Sept.  17,-] 
1862.    J 


BATTLE    OF    ANTIETAM. 


527 


Hill,  coming  up  from  Harper's  Ferry,  easily  repulsed  this  assault. 
The  next  day,  neither  commander  seemed  disposed  to  renew 
the  struggle.  That  night  Lee  retired  across  the  Potomac.  This 
battle,  indecisive  as  it  seemed,  had  overthrown  all  his  plans  for 
an  invasion  of  Pennsylvania. 


STORMING  THE  BRIDGE  AT  ANTIETAM. 


Six  weeks  after  the  strug 
gle  of  Antietam,  at  the  im 
perative  order  of  the  Presi 
dent,  the  Union  army  cross 
ed  the  Potomac.  Its  pursuit 
of  Lee,  however,  was  slow. 
McClellan  had  long  since 

lost  the  confidence  of  the  President  as  well  as  of  General  Halleck, 
then  at  Washington,  and  it  was  resolved  to  supersede  him.  A 
messenger  bearing  the  despatch  arrived  at  McClellan's  tent  in 
Rectortown,  during  a  heavy  snow-storm,  at  midnight,  November 
7th.  The  general  read  the  letter,  and,  handing  it  over  to  his  suc 
cessor,  said,  indifferently,  "  Well,  Burnside,  you  are  to  command." 
The  army  of  the  Potomac  was  now  a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
strong.  Burnside  was  reluctant  to  accept  the  responsibility,  de 
claring  that  he  was  unfit  to  handle  so  large  a  body  of  men ;  and 
he,  at  last,  yielded  only  to  positive  orders. 


528  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE   WAR.  [N°i862?C" 

The  plan  which  Burnside  adopted  was  to  move  toward  Rich 
mond  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock,  while  making  a 
feint  in  the  direction  of  Gordonsville.  Lee,  perceiving  his  real 
intention,  advanced  in  a  parallel  line.  When  the  main  body  of  the 
Federals  reached  Fredericksburg,  where  they  were  to  cross,  they 
saw  in  front  of  them  the  red  flags  and  gray  ranks  of  their  old 
adversaries.  After  several  days,  the  pontoons,  which  had  been 
delayed  through  some  inattention  at  Washington,  came  to  hand. 
An  attempt  to  lay  them  failed,  because  of  a  galling  fusillade  kept 
up  by  the  Confederate  sharp-shooters,  hidden  in  the  houses  along 
the  bank.  A  tremendous  artillery  fire  was  then  opened  upon  the 
town,  and  under  its  cover  a  company  of  daring  volunteers  crossed 
in  boats  and  expelled  the  riflemen  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
The  bridges  were  quickly  completed,  and  on  the  morning  of 
December  I3th  the  Union  army  was  massed  in  and  about  the  vil 
lage  of  Fredericksburg.  So  dense  a  fog  lay  in  the  valley  that 
Longstreet  approached  near  enough  to  the  Federal  lines  to  hear 
the  commands  of  the  officers. 

The  Confederates,  eighty  thousand  strong,  occupied  a  series 
of  heights  carefully  entrenched,  with  artillery  sweeping  the  plain 
at  the  foot.  Burnside's  design  was  for  General  Franklin,  who  had 
crossed  the  Rappahannock  two  miles  below  with  over  fifty  thou 
sand  men,  to  attack  the  Confederate  right  wing  under  Jackson ; 
while  Sumner  should  carry  Marye's  Height  on  the  Confederate 
left.  Through  some  misunderstanding,  Franklin  sent  only  Meade's 
corps.  The  column  had  not  gone  far  when  it  encountered  an 
annoying  obstacle.  Stuart  had  placed  a  single  gun  under  Major 
Pelham  at  the  junction  of  the  Richmond  and  River  roads  to  worry 
the  flank  of  the  advancing  force.  Four  Federal  batteries  opened 
fire  upon  him  ;  but  the  major,  though  a  young  man  of  only  twenty- 
three  years,  held  his  ground  and  kept  up  a  rapid  and  destructive 
cannonade  until  ordered  away.  General  Lee,  watching  his  gal 
lant  conduct,  exclaimed,  "  It  is  glorious  to  see  such  courage  in 
one  so  young."  This  obstruction  being  brushed  aside,  the  column 
charged  bravely  up  the  hill,  broke  through  the  enemy's  line,  and 
penetrated  to  the  reserves.  From  lack  of  support,  however,  this 
assault  utterly  failed.  It  was  the  only  one  that  promised  success, 
as  it  would  have  turned  the  stronghold  in  front  of  Fredericks 
burg. 

The  chief  interest  of  the  battle  centres  about  the  repeated 
charges  upon  Marye's  Height.  Just  before  noon,  Sumner  sent 


D|862?']  BATTLE    OF    FREDERICKSBURG.  $2$ 

French's  and  Hancock's  corps  forward  into  the  plain.  When  half 
way  across,  the  Confederate  batteries  converged  their  fire  upon 
them  from  every  side.  An  observer  says  that  the  gaps  made  in 
the  ranks  could  be  seen  at  the  distance  of  a  mile.  "  The  long  lines 
moved  through  the  focus  of  death,  quivering,  but  still  advancing, 
their  own  guns  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river  giving  them  what 
help  they  might,  a  canopy  of  iron."  When  the  Federals  had 
nearly  reached  the  base  of  the  hill  they  were  struck  by  a  storm  of 
bullets  from  two  Confederate  brigades  securely  posted  behind  a 
long,  solid  stone  wall.  The  weakened  ranks  yielded  to  the  tem 
pest,  and  sought  refuge  in  a  protecting  ravine.  Thrice  again  they 
rallied  and  rushed  forward  with  desperate  valor,  but  in  vain.  It 
was  a  pitiless,  useless  slaughter,  and  the  survivors  fled  leaving 
half  their  number  strewing  the  bloody  field. 

In  this  attack,  Meagher's  Irish  Brigade  especially  distinguished 
itself.  The  London  Times's  correspondent  says  :  "  Never  at  Fon- 
tenoy,  Albuera,  nor  Waterloo  was  more  undoubted  courage  dis 
played  by  the  sons  of  Erin  than  during  those  frantic  dashes  against 
the  almost  impregnable  position  of  their  foe.  That  any  mortal 
man  could  have  carried  the  position,  it  seems  idle  to  believe. 
But  the  bodies  which  lie  in  dense  masses  within  forty-eight  yards 
of  the  muzzles  of  Colonel  Walton's  guns  are  the  best  evidence  of 
what  manner  of  men  they  were  who  pressed  on  to  death  with  the 
dauntlessness  of  a  race  which  has  gained  glory  on  a  thousand 
battle-fields,  and  never  more  richly  deserved  it  than  at  the  foot  of 
Marye's  Height,  on  the  I3th  day  of  December,  1862." 

There  was  no  hope  of  success,  yet  Hooker,  though  he  pleaded 
against  it,  was  ordered  to  renew  the  fruitless  struggle.  Accord 
ingly,  toward  night,  General  Humphreys's  division  was  thrown 
forward.  Shouting  and  hurrahing,  the  troops  swept  within  sixty 
yards  of  the  fatal  stone  wall.  There  the  column  staggered  and 
broke.  It  was  all  over  within  fifteen  minutes  after  the  first  gun 
was  fired,  but  seventeen  hundred  and  sixty  out  of  four  thousand 
men  had  fallen.  Darkness  mercifully  put  an  end  to  this  horrible 
massacre. 

General  Burnside,  brave  to  a  fault,  had  determined  to  form  his 
own  corps,  the  Ninth,  into  columns  of  regiments,  and  make,  the 
next  morning,  a  new  assault  upon  Marye's  Height.  Sumner,  it 
is  said,  persuaded  him  to  abandon  this  hazardous  design.  The 
following  night,  the  troops,  discouraged  but  not  dismayed,  crept 
back  across  the  bridges  to  their  old  camping-ground.  They  had 
34 


53O  SECOND    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [,gec 


62. 


lost  over  twelve  thousand  men,  and  the  Confederates  not  half 
that  number.  Both  armies  then  went  into  winter-quarters. 

To  add  to  the  bloody  record  of  this  year  of  battles,  the  Sioux 
Indians,  becoming  dissatisfied  with  the  payment  of  money  claimed 
by  them,  in  bloody  imitation  of  their  pale  brothers,  took  the  war 
path.  Little  Crow  and  other  chiefs  perpetrated  barbarous  mas 
sacres  in  Dacotah,  Iowa,  and  Minnesota.  Hundreds  of  the  inhab 
itants  were  butchered,  and  thousands,  driven  from  their  homes, 
saw  all  they  possessed  perish  by  the  torch.  The  savages  were 
finally  routed.  Thirty-nine  of  the  captives  were  tried  and  con 
demned  to  death.  They  were  hung  on  a  common  scaffold  at 
Mankato,  Minnesota,  December  26th. 

In  the  Southern  States,  domestic  life  now  began  to  feel  the 
stringency  of  the  blockade.  The  money  issued  by  the  Confeder 
ate  government  had  steadily  depreciated  in  value.  Flour  brought 
forty  dollars  per  barrel,  salt  a  dollar  per  pound,  and  a  pair  of  boots 
fifty  dollars.  Woolen  clothing  was  scarce,  and  the  army  depended 
largely  on  captures  from  the  ample  Federal  stores.  "  Pins  were 
so  rare  that  they  were  picked  up  with  avidity  in  the  streets."  A 
spool  of  thread  came  to  be  worth  twenty  dollars,  a  pound  of 
sugar  seventy -five  dollars,  and  one  of  black  pepper  three  hundred 
dollars.  Paper  was  so  scarce  that  matches  could  no  longer  be 
put  in  boxes.  Butter,  eggs  and  white  bread  became  luxuries 
even  for  the  rich. 


THE  MONITOR  AT  SEA. 


CHAPTER     XV. 


YEJtt    OF   THE   CIVIL 


N  New  Year's  day,  the  Emancipa 
tion  Proclamation  issued  by  Lin 
coln  the  preceding  September 
went  into  effect.  All  the  slaves 
within  the  seceded  States  were 
declared  free.  It  is  said  that  the 
original  draft  of  this  document 
was  prepared  in  July,  when  the 
Union  forces  were  in  the  midst 
of  reverses.  Carpenter  repeats 
the  President's  words  thus  :  "  I 
put  the  draft  of  the  proclama 
tion  aside,  waiting  for  a  victory. 
Well,  the  next  news  we  had  was  of  Pope's  disaster  at  Bull  Run. 
Things  looked  darker  than  ever.  Finally  came  the  week  of  the 
battle  of  Antietam.  I  determined  to  wait  no  longer.  The  news 
came,  I  think,  on  Wednesday  that  the  advantage  was  on  our  side. 
I  was  then  staying  at  the  Soldier's  Home.  Here  I  finished  writ 
ing  the  second  draft  of  the  proclamation;  came  up  on  Saturday; 
called  the  cabinet  together  to  hear  it,  and  it  was  published  the 
following  Monday.  I  made  a  solemn  vow  before  God  that  if 
General  Lee  was  driven  back  from  Maryland  I  would  crown  the 
result  by  the  declaration  of  freedom  to  the  slaves." 

No  measure  of  the  Avar  was  more  bitterly  opposed  than  the 
project  of  arming  the  slaves,  which  was  now  adopted  by  the  Fed 
eral  government.  It  was  denounced  at  the  North  ;  while  at 
the  South,  the  Confederate  Congress  threatened  with  death  any 
white  officer  captured  while  in  command  of  negro  troops,  leaving 
the  men  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  the  laws  of  the  State  in 
which  they  were  taken.  Yet,  so  willing  were  the  negroes  to  en 
list,  and  so  faithful  did  they  prove  themselves  in  service,  that  by 


532 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


TMarch, 
L  1863. 


. 

9 


December  over  fifty  thousand  had  been  enrolled,  and  before  the 

close  of  the  war  that  number  was  quadrupled. 

The  Federal  plan  for  the  war 
this  year  remained  unchanged, 
except  that  it  included  also  the 
occupation  of  Tennessee.  The 
Union  army  was  about  seven 
hundred  thousand  strong ;  the 
Confederate,  not  more  than  half 
that  number. 

At  the  West,  the  grand  prize 
of  the  war  was  Vicksburg,  the 
capture  of  which  would  reopen 
the  Mississippi,  the  main  artery 
of  trade  through  that  immense 
valley.  Early  in  the  spring, 
Grant  resumed  this  task.  The 
northern  defences  of  the  city  had 
proved  so  strong  that  it  was  de 
cided  to  make  the  next  attempt 
from  the  south.  The  difficulty, 
however,  was  to  get  the  army 
and  the  gunboats  below  the  for- 


RUNNING   THE    BATTERIES    AT    VICKSBURG. 


tifications.  Various  efforts  were  made  to  "  flank  the  Mississippi." 
One  plan  was  to  cut  a  canal  across  the  great  bend  in  the  river 
opposite  Vicksburg,  and  so  turn  the  Mississippi  from  its  bed  as 


Apri863"ne']  BEFORE    VICKSBURG.  533 

had  been  done  at  Island  No.  10 ;  another,  was  to  dig  a  channel  from 
the  river  to  Lake  Providence,  whence  there  is  water  communica 
tion  to  the  Red  River;  a  third  channel  was  proposed,  by  the 
way  of  various  bayous  from  Milliken's  Bend  to  New  Carthage  ; 
and  a  fourth  through  the  Yazoo  Pass  and  Moon  Lake,  and  thence 
via  the  Cold  Water,  Tallahatchie,  and  Yazoo  Rivers  to  the  rear 
of  the  works  at  Raines's  Bluff. 

These  plans  proving  futile,  it  was  finally  decided  to  march  the 
army  down  the  west  bank  of  the  river,  while  the  gun-boats  and 
transports  took  the  risk  of  running  the  batteries.  Seventy  miles 
of  corduroy  road  were  constructed  through  the  morass,  on  which 
the  troops  were  safely  passed  below.  On  the  nights  of  the  i6th 
and  22d  of  April,  the  fleet  successfully  ran  the  gauntlet  of  the 
eight  miles  of  batteries  commanding  the  channel.  It  then  ferried 
the  army  across  the  river  at  Bruinsburg. 

Cutting  loose  from  his  base,  Grant  now  hastened  his  column 
northward,  defeating  the  advance  of  Pemberton's  army  at  Port 
Gibson,  May  ist.  Learning  that  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  was 
coming  to  Pemberton's  assistance,  he  rapidly  pushed  between 
them  to  Jackson,  that,  while  holding  back  Johnston  with  his  right 
hand,  with  his  left  he  might  drive  Pemberton  into  Vicksburg,  and 
afterward  capture  his  whole  army.  Pursuing  this  design,  he  de 
feated  Johnston  at  Jackson,  May  I4th,  and  then,  turning  to  the 
west,  drove  Pemberton  from  his  position  at  Champion  Hills,  May 
i6th,  and  finally  at  Big  Black  River,  May  i/th.  In  seventeen  days 
from  the  landing,  Grant  had  marched  two  hundred  miles,  fought 
four  battles,  taken  ninety  guns  and  six  thousand  prisoners.  "  That 
night,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  Grant  and  Sherman  had  an  inter 
view,  seated  on  a  fallen  tree,  in  the  light  of  a  pile  of  burning  fence- 
rails,  while  the  eager  and  swift-marching  men  of  the  Fifteenth 
corps  filed  by  them  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness."  Their 
plans  were  soon  laid,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  igth  the  invest 
ment  of  Vicksburg  was  complete. 

Two  desperate  and  bloody  assaults  having  failed,  a  regular 
siege  was  begun.  Mines  and  countermines  were  dug.  The  gar 
rison  could  not  show  their  heads  above  the  entrenchments  with 
out  being  picked  off  by  the  watchful  riflemen.  A  hat  held  for 
two  minutes  at  a  port-hole  was  pierced  with  fifteen  balls.  Shells 
searched  out  all  parts  of  the  city,  the  cannon  of  the  army  and 
fleet  during  the  siege  firing  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  thousand 
three  hundred  and  twenty-three  shots.  To  escape  the  iron  storm 


534 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


MAP   OF  VICKSBURG   AND   VICINITY. 


which  incessantly  poured  upon  them,  the  inhabitants  burrowed  in 
caves  until  the  city  looked  like  a  "  prairie-dog's  village."  Meat 
gave  out  entirely,  and  the  troops  were  reduced  to  half  rations. 
Percussion -caps  became  scarce,  and  at  one  time  there  were 

only  ten  to  a  man.  At  last  the  gar 
rison,  exhausted  by  forty-seven  days 
and  nights  of  ceaseless  labor  in  the 
trenches,  could  hold  out  no  longer. 
Seeing  that  Grant  was  ready  to  make 
the  final  assault,  Pemberton  asked  for 
terms  of  surrender.  The  two  com 
manders  met  under  an  oak  tree  be 
tween  the  lines,  at  three  P.  M.,  July  3d. 
The  next  day  the  city  capitulated  with 
twenty-seven  thousand  men.  The  Union  loss  was  less  than  nine 
thousand  all  told. 

Meanwhile,  Port  Hudson  had  been  besieged  by  General  Banks. 
Gardner,  who  was  in  command,  made  a  valiant  defence,  but  on 
learning  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  he  also  surrendered.  The 
entire  length  of  the  Mississippi  was  now  clear,  and  one  great 
object  of  the  war  was  accomplished.  July  i6th,  the  steamer 
Imperial  made  the  voyage  from  St.  Louis  to  New  Orleans.  It 
was  the  first  in  two  years. 

Late  in  June,  Rosecrans  took  the  field  against  his  old  antago 
nist,  Bragg.  By  his  strategic  movements  he  drove  the  Confed 
erates  back  to  Chattanooga.  Here  Bragg  had  a  chance  to  be  shut 
up  within  entrenchments,  as  Pemberton  was  at  Vicksburg ;  but,  a 
more  acute  tactician,  he  knew  the  superior  value  of  an  army  in 
the  field,  and  so  evacuated  the  place  in  good  time.  The  Union 
forces  pressed  forward,  and  in  the  eager  chase,  became  carelessly 
stretched  out  over  a  line  forty  miles  long.  Bragg,  powerfully 
reinforced,  suddenly  turned  upon  his  pursuers.  The  Federals 
rapidly  concentrated,  and  the  two  armies  met,  September  iQth,  in 
the  valley  of  the  Chickamauga — the  river  of  death. 

Bragg's  plan  was  to  turn  the  Union  left,  where  General  Thomas 
commanded.  Against  him  he  massed  the  bulk  of  his  force  under 
General  Polk.  The  first  day's  contest  was  indecisive.  Early  the 
next  morning  the  struggle  was  renewed.  Rosecrans  was  forced 
to  move  brigade  after  brigade  to  his  left  in  order  to  resist  the  tre 
mendous  pressure  at  that  point.  About  noon,  General  Wood 
having  withdrawn  too  hastily,  Longstreet  pushed  a  brigade  into 


Septf863.2°']  BATTLE    OF    CHICKAMAUGA.  535 

the  gap  before  the  rest  could  close  up  the  line  of  battle,  and  swept 
the  Federal  right  and  centre  from  the  field.  Rosecrans  himself 
was  borne  away,  and,  reaching  Chattanooga,  he  telegraphed  to 
Washington  that  his  army  was  defeated. 

Thomas,  however,  the  "  Rock  of  Chickamauga,"  held  his  ground. 
All  through  the  long  afternoon  the  entire  Confederate  army  surged 
against  him,  but  to  no  effect.  At  one  time  he  seemed  lost.  Long- 
street  discovered  a  defile  in  the  hills,  and  began  to  pour  his  men 
upon  the  Federal  rear.  Just  then  Granger  came  up  with  the 
Union  reserves,  and  Thomas  showed  him  the  enemy  that  moment 
debouching  into  the  plain.  Quick  as  thought,  Granger  threw 
upon  the  foe  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  and  ordered  a  battery  forward 
to  check  the  tide  till  the  other  troops  could  be  brought  up  to  the 
point  of  danger. 

In  this  crisis  heroes  seemed  to  multiply.  Colonel  George,  of 
the  Second  Minnesota,  being  asked,  "  How  long  can  you  hold  this 
pass?"  replied,  "  Until  the  regiment  is  mustered  out  of  service." 
A  part  of  Steedman's  division  wavering  before  the  terrible  fire, 
that  general  seized  the  colors,  and  shouting,  "  Go  back,  boys,  go 
back,  but  the  flag  can't  go  with  you,"  wheeled  his  horse  and  rode 
straight  toward  the  enemy. 

At  sunset,  the  Confederates  made  their  last  charge.  The  Union 
troops  had  expended  their  ammunition,  but  repelled  the  attack 
with  the  bayonet.  At  night,  Thomas  deliberately  withdrew  to 
Chattanooga,  picking  up  five  hundred  prisoners  on  the  way. 

The  Union  army,  defeated  in  the  field,  was  now  shut  up  in 
Chattanooga,  where  Rosecrans  threw  up  entrenchments.  Bragg 
occupied  the  hills  commanding  the  place,  and  cut  off  its  communi 
cations.  Ere  long,  the  Federal  supplies  were  exhausted.  Ten 
thousand  animals  died,  and  the  troops  were  threatened  with  star 
vation.  It  was  doubtful  whether  they  could  hold  the  place. 
Rosecrans  had  been  displaced,  and  Thomas  was  in  command. 
Grant,  now  in  charge  of  the  military  division  of  the  Mississippi, 
hastened  to  his  rescue.  Fearful  lest  Thomas  might  surrender 
before  reinforcements  could  reach  him,  he  telegraphed  him  to  de 
fend  his  post.  The  characteristic  reply  was,  "  I  will  stay  till  I 
starve." 

Every  effort  was  then  made  to  relieve  the  beleagured  city. 
Hooker,  with  two  corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  was  carried 
by  rail  from  the  Rapidan  to  the  Tennessee,  about  twelve  hundred 
miles,  in  seven  days.  Grant  arrived  from  New  Orleans,  October 


536  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [ 

23d.  Affairs  soon  wore  a  different  look.  A  bold  dash  on  the  morn 
ing  of  the  2/th  cleared  the  road  to  Bridgeport,  and  restored  com 
munications  with  the  river  below.  Sherman  now  came  fighting 
his  way  from  Mississippi.  Eighty  thousand  men  awaited  Grant's 
orders  to  break  through  their  environment.  Yet  by  a  strange 
misapprehension,  Davis,  when  visiting  Bragg's  lines  a  fortnight 
before,  thought  that  the  Union  army  was  in  a  trap,  and  had  sent 
Longstreet  with  fifteen  thousand  men  to  attack  Burnside  at 
Knoxville. 

Monday  morning,  November  23d,  was  clear  and  bright. 
Thomas's  troops,  twenty-five  thousand  strong,  were  drawn  up 
before  Chattanooga.  The  men  had  on  their  best  uniforms,  and 
the  bands  discoursed  the  liveliest  music.  The  surrounding  hills 
and  entrenchments  were  crowded  with  eager 
spectators.  The  Confederates  stationed  on 
the  heights  could  see  every  movement ;  and 
their  pickets,  resting  on  their  muskets, 
watched  the  parade.  Suddenly  the  drums 
beat  the  charge,  the  Union  army  broke  into 
a  double-quick,  the  review  was  turned  into  a 
battle,  and  that  line  of  blue  two  miles  long 
"swept  true  as  a  sword -blade"  over  the 
field.  Soon  there  came  dropping  shots,  then 
volleys  of  musketry  and  the  deep  roar  of 
artillery.  After  a  sharp  resistance,  Orchard  Knob,  a  craggy  knoll 
in  front  of  the  Confederate  position,  was  seized  and  crowned  with 
batteries. 

The  Confederate  line,  twelve  miles  long,  rested  its  left  on  Look 
out  Mountain,  over  two  thousand  feet  high,  and  its  right  upon 
Missionary  Ridge,  so-called  because,  many  years  ago,  it  was  the 
location  of  Indian  mission-schools.  A  series  of  earthworks  in  the 
valley  between,  connected  the  two  flanks. 

Grant's  plan  was  for  Sherman  to  attack  the  extreme  right  of 
this  position,  and  Hooker  the  left ;  then,  when  Bragg,  in  order 
to  resist  these  blows,  had  sufficiently  weakened  the  centre,  to 
pounce  upon  that  point  and  pierce  it. 

On  the  night  of  the  23d,  Sherman  crossed  the  river,  and  early 
in  the  morning,  under  cover  of  a  mist  which  hid  his  men,  moved 
up  to  the  foot  of  the  Ridge  and  seized  the  northern  extremity. 
Hooker  charged  the  works  on  Lookout  Mountain  in  flank,  taking 
many  prisoners.  The  troops  had  been  ordered  to  stop  on  the 


CHATTANOOGA  AND   VICINITY. 


N°V|8263'.25>]  BATTLE    OF    CHATTANOOGA.  537 

lower  plateau  of  the  hill,  but,  carried  away  by  the  ardor  of  the 
attack,  they  swept  round  to  the  front,  and,  passing  under  the 
muzzles  of  the  guns  on  the  summit,  drove  the  enemy  before  them. 
Through  the  mist  that  filled  the  valley,  the  anxious  watchers 
below  caught  only  glimpses  of  this  far-famed  "  battle  above  the 
clouds."  That  evening,  Hooker's  camp-fires  gleamed  like  jewels 
on  Lookout  Mountain's  brow.  The  Union  soldiers,  amid  cheers 
and  songs,  laid  down  to  rest,  feeling  that  on  the  morrow  would 
be  the  decisive  contest. 

During  the  night  the  enemy  abandoned  the  crest  of  the  moun 
tain.  At  dawn,  Captain  Wilson  and  fifteen  men  of  the  Eighth 
Kentucky  crept  up  among  the  rocky  clefts  and  unfurled  the  Stars 
and  Stripes.  As  the  fog  lifted,  the  Confederate  camp  in  the  valley 
was  seen  to  be  deserted  also,  and  their  line  to  have  shrunk  back  to 
Missionary  Ridge. 

While  the  guns  were  roaring  along  Lookout  Mountain  the  day 
before,  the  soldiers  said,  laughingly,  "  Old  Hooker  is  opening  the 
hard-tack  line."  Sure  enough,  about  noon,  the  screech  of  a 
steamer  was  heard  down  the  river,  and  soon  the  vessel  crawled 
up  to  the  dock  at  Chattanooga.  "  It  was  a  sorry  craft,"  says  a 
writer,  "  but  it  seemed  the  sweetest-voiced  and  prettiest  piece  of 
naval  architecture  that  ever  floated  upon  the  Tennessee." 

At  sunrise,  Hooker  pushed  down  across  Chattanooga  Creek, 
advancing  in  Bragg's  rear,  south  of  the  Ridge.  All  this  time, 
Sherman  was  steadily  pounding  on  the  Confederate  right,  so 
heavily  that  Bragg  mistook  it  for  the  real  attack,  and  accordingly 
depleted  his  centre  to  meet  it.  Grant  from  his  post  on  Orchard 
Knob  saw  that  the  crisis  of  the  battle  had  arrived,  and  promptly 
launched  Thomas's  corps  on  the  enemy's  centre.  The  signal  for 
the  assault  had  been  arranged — six  cannon-shots,  fired  at  intervals 
of  two  seconds.  The  fateful  moment  arrived.  "  Strong  and  steady 
the  commands  rang  out.  '  Number  one,  fire  !  Number  two,  fire  ! 
Number  three,  fire  ! '  It  seemed  the  tolling  of  the  clock  of  des 
tiny,  and  when  at  '  Number  six,  fire ! '  the  roar  throbbed  out  with 
the  flash,  the  dead  line  that  had  been  lying  behind  the  works  all 
day,  all  night,  all  day  again,  came  to  resurrection  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  leaped  like  a  blade  from  its  scabbard,  and  swept  toward 
the  Ridge." 

The  orders  were  to  take  the  rifle-pits  at  the  foot  of  Missionary 
Ridge,  then  to  halt  and  re-form ;  but  the  men  forgot  all  that,  car 
ried  the  works  at  the  base,  and  dashed  on  up  the  ascent.  Grant 


538 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


TNov.25 


1863. 


caught  the  inspiration,  and  directed  a  grand  charge  along   the 
whole  front. 


it  was  a  splendid  sight  to  see, 


For  one  who  had  no  friend,  no  brother  there." 

Up  they  went  without  firing  a  shot,  and  heedless  of  plunging 
ball  and  hissing  bullet ;  clambering  over  rocks  ;  leaping  chasms ; 
crawling  under  fallen  trees  ;  stumbling  over  the  dead  ;  creeping 
along,  hand  over  hand  ;  all  lines  broken,  and  the  flags  far  ahead, 


A   CHARGE   AT   MISSIONARY   RIDGE. 


each  one  surrounded  by  a  group  of  the  bravest.  Just  as  the  sun 
sank  below  the  horizon,  the  advance  surged  over  the  crest ;  a 
hundred  men  followed,  and  an  instant  later  captured  the  guns 
and  turned  them  on  the  retreating  foe. 

Bragg,  after  the  rout  of  his  army,  resigned.  The  possession 
of  Chattanooga  gave  to  the  Federal  cause  the  control  of  East 
Tennessee,  and,  what  was  of  far  greater  importance,  a  ready 
entrance  into  Georgia,  Alabama,  and  the  Carolinas. 

"  The  day  after  the  battle  was  Thanksgiving,"  says  B.  F. 
Taylor,  in  his  prose-poem,  "  Camp  and  Field " ;  "  and  we  had 
services  in  Chattanooga — sad,  solemn,  grand.  The  church-bells 
hung  dumb  in  their  towers,  indeed,  but  for  all  that,  there  were 
chimes  so  grand  that  men  uncovered  their  heads  as  they  heard 
them.  At  twelve  o'clock,  the  great  guns  at  Fort  Wood  began 


[J°6V3;]  SCENES    IN    CHATTANOOGA.  539 

to  toll.  Civilians  said,  '  Can  they  be  at  it  again  ? '  and  sol 
diers  replied,  *  The  guns  are  not  shotted,  and  the  sound  is  too 
regular  for  work/  I  hastened  out  to  the  fort,  and  the  guns 
chimed  on.  What  it  was  like  flashed  upon  me  in  a  moment :  the 
valley  was  a  grand  cathedral,  Fort  Wood  the  pulpit  of  the  mighty 
minster,  and  down  the  descending  aisle  in  front  rose  Orchard 
Knob,  the  altar.  The  dead  were  lying  there,  far  out  to  the  east 
ern  wall,  and  God's  chandelier  hung  high  in  the  dome.  They 
were  the  accents  of  praise  I  was  hearing  ;  thirty -four  syllables  of 
thanksgiving  the  guns  were  saying :  '  O/t,  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord, 
for  He  is  good ;  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever  !  '  And  the  hills 
took  up  the  anthem  and  struck  sublimely  in ;  from  the  Ridge  it 
came  back,  '  Give  thanks  unto  the  Lord'  and  Waldron's  Height 
uttered  it,  ''for  His  mercy  endureth,'  and  Lookout  Valley  sang 
aloud,  'forever,  forever,'  and  all  the  mountains  cried,  l  Amen  !  ' 

"  And  the  churches  of  Chattanooga  had  congregations  that 
day.  Those  who  composed  them  had  come  silent  and  suffering 
and  of  steady  heart :  had  come  upon  stretchers  ;  come  in  men's 
arms,  like  infants  to  the  christening.  Ambulances  had  been 
drawing  up  to  the  church-doors  all  night  with  their  burdens,  and 
within  those  walls  it  looks  one  great  altar  of  sacrifice.  The  doors 
are  noiselessly  opening  and  closing,  and  I  see  pale  faces — bloody 
garments.  Right  hands  lie  in  the  porch  that  have  offended  and 
been  cut  off;  castaway  feet  are  there,  too,  but  there  is  nothing 
about  sinning  feet  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount !  It  is  not  the 
house  of  wailing  on  whose  threshold  I  am  waiting ;  it  is  the  house 
of  patience.  Five  still  figures,  covered  by  five  brown  blankets, 
are  ranged  on  the  floor  beside  me.  Their  feet  are  manacled  with 
bits  of  slender  twine,  but  a  spider's  thread  could  hold  them.  I  lift 
a  corner  of  the  blankets,  and  look  at  the  quiet  faces.  Do  men  look 
nearer  alike  when  dead  than  when  alive  ?  Else  how  could  it  have 
chanced  that  one  of  these  sleepers  in  Federal  blue  should  resem 
ble  another  in  Confederate  gray  nearly  enough  for  both  to  have 
been  '  twinned  at  a  birth  ?  '  They  are  not  wounded  in  the  face, 
and  so  there  is  nothing  to  shock  you ;  they  fell  in  their  full 
strength.  Tread  lightly,  lest  they  be  not  dead,  but  sleeping. 
The  silence  within  oppresses  me ;  it  seems  as  if  an  accent  of  pain 
from  some  sufferer  in  that  solemn  church  would  be  a  welcome 
sound,  and  I  think  of  a  brave  bird  wounded  unto  death  that  I 
have  held  in  my  hand,  its  keen  eye  undimmed  and  full  upon  me, 
throbbing  with  the  pain  and  dying,  and  yet  so  silent ! " 


540  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [[gj^; 

The  same  brilliant  writer  narrates  a  touching  incident  con 
nected  with  the  battle  of  Chattanooga.  The  Third  Ohio  regi 
ment,  which  was  captured  with  Streight's  command  in  April  of 
this  year,  while  en  route  to  Richmond  stopped  over  night  at  a 
town  where  the  Fifty-fourth  Virginia  was  encamped.  Naturally, 
the  Confederates  came  strolling  about  "  to  see  the  sorry  show  of 
poor  supperless  Yankees.  They  did  not  stare  long,  but  hastened 
away  to  camp,  and  came  streaming  back  with  coffee-kettles,  corn- 
bread  and  bacon — the  best  they  had,  and  all  they  had — and 
straightway  little  fires  began  to  twinkle,  bacon  was  suffering  the 
martyrdom  of  the  Saint  of  the  Gridiron,  and  the  aroma  of  coffee 
rose  like  the  fragrant  cloud  of  a  thank-offering.  Loyal  guests  and 
rebel  hosts  were  mingled  ;  the  hungry  prisoners  ate  and  were 
satisfied.  Night  and  the  Union  boys  departed  together;  the  pris 
oners  in  due  time  were  exchanged,  and  were  encamped  within 
rifle-shot  of  Kelly's  Ferry,  on  the  bank  of  the  Tennessee. 

" And  now  comes  the  sequel  that  makes  a  beautiful  poem  of  the 
whole  of  it.  On  the  day  of  the  storming  of  Mission  Ridge,  among 
the  prisoners  was  the  Fifty-fourth  Virginia,  and  on  the  Friday 
following,  it  trailed  away  across  the  pontoon  bridge  and  along 
the  mountain  road,  nine  miles  to  Kelly's  Ferry.  Arrived  there, 
it  settled  upon  the  bank  like  bees,  awaiting  the  boat.  Some  of 
the  Union  boys  were  on  duty  at  the  landing  when  it  arrived. 
1  What  regiment  is  this  ?  '  they  asked,  and  when  the  reply  was 
given,  they  started  for  camp  like  quarter-horses,  and  shouted,  as 
they  rushed  in  and  out  among  the  smoky  cones  of  the  '  Sibleys,' 
*  The  Fifty-fourth  Virginia  is  at  the  Ferry  ! '  The  camp  swarmed 
in  three  minutes.  Treasures  of  coffee,  bacon,  sugar,  beef,  pre 
served  peaches,  everything,  were  '  turned  out  in  force/  and  you 
may  believe  they  went  laden  with  plenty,  at  the  double-quick,  to 
the  Ferry.  The  same  old  scene,  and  yet  how  strangely  changed ! 
The  twinkling  fires,  the  grateful  incense,  the  hungry  captives ;  but 
guests  and  hosts  had  changed  places ;  the  star-lit  folds  floated 
aloft  for  'the  bonny  blue  flag;'  and  a  debt  of  honor  was  paid  to 
the  uttermost  farthing.  If  they  had  a  triumph  of  arms  at  Chat 
tanooga,  hearts  were  trumps  at  Kelly's  Ferry.  And  there  it  was, 
and  then  it  was,  that  horrid  war  smiled  a  human  smile,  and  a 
grateful,  gentle  light  flickered  for  a  moment  on  the  point  of  the 
bayonet." 

While  Rosecrans  was  marching  to  his  fate,  as  we  have  seen,  at 
Chickamauga,  General  Burnside,  having  been  relieved  of  the  com- 


JaT863?ril>]  THE    WAR    IN    VIRGINIA.  541 

mand  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  was  assigned  to  the  Depart 
ment  of  the  Ohio.  He  advanced  from  his  headquarters  at  Cin 
cinnati  into  East  Tennessee,  and,  with  little  loss,  conquered  it  for 
the  Union.  In  November,  however,  Longstreet  arrived  with  his 
corps  from  Chattanooga.  The  Confederates  were  in  a  deplorable 
state,  ragged,  shoeless,  hatless,  blanketless,  and  hungry ;  but  they 
were  veterans,  and  Burnside's  forces  were  driven  within  the  en 
trenchments  of  Knoxville.  Two  fruitless  assaults  had  been  made 
upon  the  city,  when  Sherman  came  to  the  rescue  from  the  victory 
at  Chattanooga.  As  his  advance  arrived  in  sight,  Longstreet's 
men  filed  out  of  their  camp  in  full  retreat. 

Between  September  2/th  and  December  4th,  Sherman's  corps, 
hastening  to  the  relief  of  Chattanooga,  had  marched  four  hun 
dred  miles  from  the  Big  Black  River  in  Mississippi,  often  without 
rations,  sometimes  barefoot,  and  three  successive  nights  without 
sleep.  They  had  fought  during  that  week  of  battles,  and  thence 
they  had  traveled  over  terrible  roads  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  to  the  assistance  of  Burnside.  "  It  was,"  says  Draper,  "  the 
harbinger  of  the  March  to  the  Sea." 

General  Hooker  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  January  26th.  He  found  the  troops  greatly  demor 
alized.  Many  had  lost  all  heart  in  the  cause.  At  one  time,  three 
thousand  officers  and  eighty  thousand  privates  were  absent  from 
the  ranks,  while  the  daily  desertions  numbered  two  hundred. 
The  army  was  now  carefully  reorganized  and  disciplined  until,  as 
the  commander  declared,  it  was  "  the  finest  on  the  planet."  The 
last  of  April,  Longstreet  with  two  divisions  having  been  de 
tached  to  the  James,  the  Confederate  force  was  reduced  to  sixty 
thousand,  some  say  as  low  as  forty-five  thousand.  As  Hooker 
had  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  men  at  least,  he  saw  the 
opportunity.  His  plan  was  for  General  Sedgwick  to  pass  the 
river  at  Fredericksburg,  as  if  to  renew  Burnside's  enterprise, 
while  he  threw  the  main  body  across  the  Rappahannock  above 
Chancellorsville,  and  then  swept  down  on  the  Confederate  rear. 
All  worked  admirably.  The  3Oth  found  the  "gray  cavalier"  still 
on  the  heights  at  Fredericksburg,  Avhile  over  seventy  thousand 
men  in  blue  were  grouped  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes  about  Chan 
cellorsville.  Hooker  exultingly  exclaimed,  in  a  congratulatory 
order  to  his  troops,  that  they  now  occupied  "  a  position  so  strong 
that  the  enemy  must  either  ingloriously  fly,  or  come  out  from 
behind  his  defences  and  give  us  battle  on  our  own  ground,  where 
certain  destruction  awaits  him." 


542 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


rMay  I, 
L  1863, 


The  next  day  the  Union  army  moved  out  of  the  Wilderness 
into  an  advantageous  position  in  the  open  country,  where  it  could 
communicate  with  Sedgwick  by  Banks's  Ford.  All  anticipated 
a  vigorous  advance.  Unexpectedly,  however,  Hooker  changed 
from  the  offensive  to  the  defensive,  fell  back  into  the  Wilderness, 
and  took  post  again  at  Chancellorsville.  Here  he  made  ready  to 


LEE  AND   JACKSON   PLANNING  THE   BATTLE  OF  CHANCELLORSVILLE. 

receive  battle  in  a  wild  and  desolate  region— -a,  thicket  of  under 
growth  so  dense  that  the  "  men  had  to  flatten  their  bodies  to  glide 
between  the  stunted  oaks;"  a  jungle  traversed  only  by  narrow 
roads  and  bridle-paths,  where  neither  cavalry  nor  artillery  could 
operate,  and  every  movement  of  an  antagonist  was  effectually 
hidden. 

Lee,  seeing  the  real  intention  of  Hooker,  now  rapidly  swung 
his  army  into  position.  On  the  eve  of  May  ist,  "seated  upon 
some  cracker-boxes  under  a  pine  tree  "  with  his  famous  lieutenant, 
Jackson,  he  devised  a  method  of  attack.  It  was  decided  to  take 
once  more  the  risk  of  dividing  the  army  in  the  face  of  the  enemy; 
and  that,  while  Lee  made  a  show  of  fighting  in  front,  Jackson 
with  twenty  thousand  men  should  make  a  detour  of  fifteen  miles 
through  the  woods  and  turn  the  Federal  right. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  movement  was  begun.  The  line  of 
march  was  about  a  mile  in  advance  of  the  Federal  position.  General 


^isei.'3']  BATTLE    OF    CHANCELLORSVILLE.  543 

Daniel  E.  Sickles,  saw  the  Confederates  steadily  streaming  over  a 
hill  in  his  front,  and,  making  a  dash  forward,  captured  the  Twenty- 
third  Georgia  Regiment,  which  was  guarding  the  flank  of  the 
column ;  but  as  the  road  there  turned  southward,  it  was  supposed 
the  Confederates  were  retreating  to  Richmond.  Screened  by  the 
wood  and  by  Stuart's  cavalry-scouts,  Jackson  kept  on,  completely 
circummarching  the  Federal  right.  Then,  carefully  forming  his 
line  of  battle  in  silence,  he  suddenly  burst  out  of  the  thicket  like  a 
whirlwind.  The  Union  troops,  scattered  through  their  camps, 
were  busy  cooking  their  suppers.  Before  they  could  unstack 
their  guns,  the  enemy  sprang  upon  them.  Howard's  entire 
corps  was  panic-stricken.  Arms,  knapsacks  and  accoutrements 
were  thrown  away.  Artillery-horses  wildly  plunged  off  at  a 
gallop,  and  the  wagons,  striking  against  tree-trunks,  were  over 
turned  and  blocked  the  way.  Amid  this  crowd  of  rushing 
fugitives,  General  A.  Pleasanton  came  up  with  five  hundred 
cavalry.  He  ordered  Colonel  Keenan  to  charge  with  the  Eighth 
Pennsylvania.  The  gallant  officer  knew  that  it  was  his  death- 
warrant,  but  smilingly  said,  "  I  will,"  and  dashed  into  the  wood. 
In  ten  minutes  he  was  prostrate,  while  the  most  of  his  men  lay 
bleeding  around  him.  These  were  precious  minutes,  however, 
and  they  had  been  improved.  Pleasanton's  battery  of  horse-artil 
lery  had  been  wheeled  into  position,  and  other  guns  had  been 
brought  up.  When  the  enemy  emerged  into  the  opening,  the 
cannon,  double-shotted  and  trained  low,  opened  fire  upon  them 
with  terrible  force.  The  Confederates,  having  become  inextri 
cably  mingled  in  the  forest,  recoiled.  Jackson  ordered  Hill's 
brigade  to  the  fro'nt,  and  himself  rode  forward  in  the  bright 
moonlight  to  reconnoitre.  As  he  returned,  his  men  mistook  the 
party  for  Federal  cavalry,  and,  firing  upon  it,  he  was  mortally 
wounded. 

General  A.  P.  Hill  continued  the  Confederate  attack,  but  he, 
also,  was  wounded,  and  General  Stuart,  the  famous  cavalry 
leader,  took  command  of  Jackson's  corps.  "  The  men  had  been 
accustomed,"  says  Cooke,  "  to  see  their  commander  pass  slowly 
along  their  lines  on  a  horse  as  sedate-looking  as  himself,  a  slow- 
moving  figure,  with  little  of  the  '  poetry  of  war '  in  his  appear 
ance.  They  now  found  themselves  commanded  by  a  youthful  and 
daring  cavalier  on  a  spirited  animal,  with  floating  plume,  silken 
sash,  and  a  sabre  which  gleamed  in  the  moonlight,  as  its  owner 
galloped  to  and  fro,  cheering  his  men  and  marshalling  them  for 


544  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [™863.' 

the  coming  assault.  As  he  advanced  with  joyous  vivacity,  his 
sabre  drawn,  his  plume  floating  proudly,  one  of  the  men  com 
pared  him  to  Henry  of  Navarre  at  the  battle  of  Ivry.  But 
Stuart's  wild  gayety  destroyed  the  romantic  dignity  of  the  scene. 
The  next  day,  he  led  the  men  of  Jackson  against  General  Hook 
er's  breastworks,  bristling  with  cannon,  singing, '  Old  Joe  Hooker, 
will  you  come  out  of  the  wilderness  ?  ' ' 

During  the  night,  Hooker  took  a  new  position.  His  line  was 
shaped  like  the  letter  U,  with  both  flanks  resting  on  the  river. 
As  the  mist  of  Sunday  morning  lifted,  Stuart  seized  Hazel  Grove, 
a  little  hill  in  front,  and  planted  thirty  cannon  upon  it.  It  was 
the  very  key  to  the  battle-field  ;  yet  Hooker  had  just  ordered 
Sickles  to  abandon  it.  The  whole  Confederate  army  now  surged 
against  Sickles's  and  Slocum's  men.  The  former,  finding  his 
ammunition  running  low,  sent  back  for  reinforcements  ;  but  none 
came.  Hooker  was  standing  on  the  veranda  of  the  Chancel- 
lorsville  House,  when  a  cannon-ball  struck  the  pillar  against 
which  he  was  leaning  ;  he  was  stunned  by  the  blow,  and  for  an 
hour,  in  the  heat  of  the  fight,  the  army  was  deprived  of  its  com 
mander.  Sickles  repulsed  five  charges  with  the  bayonet  while 
forty  thousand  Federal  troops  lay  idle,  with  no  enemy  before 
them.  Lee  and  Stuart  had  now  fought  their  way  to  a  union,  and 
together  bore  down  on  the  Chancellorsville  House.  At  ten 
o'clock,  the  Union  forces  were  driven  back  at  every  point. 

The  Confederate  army  being  drawn  up  on  the  plateau,  Lee 
rode  in  front  of  the  line.  As  he  stopped  near  Chancellorsville 
House,  the  flames  were  leaping  out  of  every  window  of  the  burn 
ing  building.  The  woods  had  caught  fire,  and  the  blaze  was 
crackling  through  the  thicket  where  the  dead  and  wounded  lay 
thickest.  Clouds  of  smoke  swept  over  the  field,  strewed  with  the 
horrid  ddbris  of  battle.  Cool  and  collected  amid  this  fearful  scene, 
he  was  just  giving  the  order  for  a  grand  charge  when  he  was 
stopped  by  the  startling  news  that  Sedgwick  had  taken  Freder- 
icksburg. 

Drawing  back,  he  turned  against  this  new  antagonist,  and,  by 
severe  fighting  that  night  and  the  next  day  at  Salem  Church, 
compelled  him  to  recross  the  river.  Wednesday,  Lee  returned  to 
renew  the  conflict  with  Hooker.  That  general  had  lain  idly  in 
his  entrenchments  while  this  struggle  with  Sedgwick  was  going 
on,  and  had  then  retreated.  During  the  night,  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  had  spread  pine-boughs  on  the  bridges  to  dull  the  noise 


san 


STONEWALL    JACKSON. 


545 


of  the  trains,  and  quietly  crept  back  to  its  old  camping-ground 
opposite  Fredericksburg.  It  numbered  about  seventeen  thousand 
less  than  when  it  set  out  on  this  adventure  ;  while  the  Confederate 
force  was  weakened  by  about  thirteen  thousand  men. 

The  South  had  achieved  a  victory,  but  it  was  far  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  loss  of  her  favorite  leader.  Stonewall 
Jackson  died  a  week 
after  this  great  bat 
tle,  which  had  been 
mainly  decided  by 
the  tremendous  blow 
he  delivered  on  the 
Federal  right.  Jack 
son  was  a  sincere 
Christian,  and  his 
character  commands 
the  respect  due  to 
exalted  integrity 
wherever  found.  He 
was  accustomed  in 
all  he  did  to  ask  the 
Divine  blessing  and 
guidance.  His  old 
body  -  servant  said 
that  he  "  could  tell 
when  a  battle  was  at 
hand  by  seeing  the 
general  get  up  a 
great  many  times  in 
the  night  to  pray." 
His  ejaculatory  prayers  during  the  heat  of  a  conflkt  were  often 
heard  by  those  near  him.  At  a  council  of  war  held  in  Manassas, 
after  he  had  made  his  successful  move  to  Pope's  rear  in  the  cam 
paign  of  1862,  he  listened  quietly  to  the  opinions  of  the  other 
members,  and  then  asked  until  the  following  morning  to  mature 
his  own  plan.  A  general  officer  present  remarked  to  another,  as 
they  retired,  "  Jackson  wants  time  to  pray  over  it."  About  twelve 
o'clock  that  night,  this  officer,  having  occasion  to  go  to  the  gen 
eral's  headquarters,  found  him  on  his  knees,  pleading  earnestly  for 
wisdom  to  direct  him.  The  next  day,  he  came  before  them  with 
a  plan  which  instantly  commended  itself  to  all.  The  distinguished 
35 


STONEWALL  JACKSON   IN   HIS  TENT. 


546  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [ 


May, 
1863. 


officer  who  relates  this  incident  was  so  deeply  affected  by  it  as  to 
be  led  to  make  a  public  profession  of  religion. 

Jackson  was  a  diligent  student  of  the  Bible,  frequently  rising 
before  day  that  he  might  find  time  to  study  a  portion  before  going 
to  his  other  duties.  He  delighted  in  religious  conversation,  and 
engaged  in  it  at  times  least  expected  by  those  who  did  not  know 
him.  Once,  while  manceuvering  to  flank  the  enemy,  he  entered 
into  a  warm  conversation  with  a  young  officer  of  his  staff  on  the 
power  of  Christian  example.  Being  interrupted  by  an  orderly 
who  reported  "  the  enemy  advancing,"  he  paused  only  long 
enough  to  give  the  laconic  order,  "  Open  on  them,"  and  then 
resumed  the  conversation,  which  he  continued  for  some  time, 
breaking  it  only  now  and  then  to  receive  despatches  and  give  the 
necessary  replies. 

A  chaplain  relates  that  on  the  eve  of  Fredericksburg,  he  saw 
an  officer  wrapped  in  a  plain  overcoat,  lying  in  the  rear  of  a 
battery,  quietly  reading  his  Bible.  He  approached  and  entered 
into  conversation  on  the  prospects  of  the  impending  battle,  but 
the  officer  soon  changed  the  conversation  to  religious  topics,  and 
the  chaplain  was  led  to  ask,  "  Of  what  regiment  are  you,  chap 
lain?"  To  his  astonishment,  he  found  that  the  quiet  Bible 
reader  was  none  other  than  the  famous  Stonewall. 

The  circumstances  of  Jackson's  death,  as  narrated  by  his  sur 
geon,  Dr.  McGuire,  are  exceedingly  touching.  Conversing  with 
Captain  Smith,  he  alluded  to  his  wounds,  and  said,  "  Many  would 
regard  them  as  a  great  misfortune  ;  I  consider  them  as  one  of  the 
blessings  of  my  life."  Captain  Smith  replied,  "All  things  work 
together  for  good  to  those  that  love  God."  "  Yes,"  he  answered  ; 
"that's  it,  that's  it." 

The  general's  joy  at  the  coming  of  his  wife  and  child  was  very 
great,  and  made  him  unusually  demonstrative.  Noticing  the  sad 
ness  of  his  wife,  he  said  to  her  tenderly,  "  I  know  you  would  gladly 
give  your  life  for  me,  but  I  am  perfectly  resigned.  Do  not  be  sad  ; 
I  hope  I  may  yet  recover.  Pray  for  me,  but  always  remember  to 
use  the  petition,  *  Thy  will  be  done.'"  About  daylight  on  Sun 
day  morning,  Mrs.  Jackson  informed  him  that  his  recovery 
was  very  doubtful,  and  that  he  should  be  prepared  for  the 
worst.  He  did  not  reply  for  a  moment ;  then  he  said,  "  It  will 
be  infinite  gain  to  be  translated  to  heaven."  Colonel  Pendleton 
coming  into  the  room  about  one  o'clock,  he  asked  him,  "  Who  is 
preaching  at  headquarters  to-day?"  Being  told  that  "the  whole 


Junl8263'.25<]  LEE    ENTERS    MARYLAND.  547 

army  was  praying-  for  him,"  he  exclaimed,  "  Thank  God  !  They 
are  very  kind."  Afterward  he  said,  "  It  is  the  Lord's  day ;  my 
wish  is  fulfilled.  I  have  always  desired  to  die  on  Sunday." 

His  mind  now  began  to  wander.  A  few  moments  before  he 
died,  he  cried  out  in  his  delirium,  "  Order  A.  P.  Hill  to  prepare 
for  action  !  "  "  Pass  the  infantry  to  the  front  rapidly  ! "  "  Tell 
Major  Hawks—  -"  then  stopped,  leaving  the  sentence  unfinished. 
Presently  a  smile  of  ineffable  sweetness  spread  itself  over  his  pale 
face,  and  he  said  quietly,  and  with  an  expression  as  if  of  relief  at 
closing  up  life's  work  at  last,  "Let  us  cross  over  the  river  and  rest 
under  the  shade  of  the  trees." 

Until  midsummer  of  1863,  it  seemed  as  if  the  Stars  and  Bars 
were  ultimately  to  be  victorious.  The  army  of  the  Potomac  had 
been  defeated  at  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville ;  Burnside 
had  not  yet  overrun  East  Tennessee  ;  Banks  was  vainly  knocking 
at  the  gates  of  Port  Hudson,  and  Grant  at  Vicksburg ;  Bragg 
had  held  Rosecrans  at  bay  before  Chattanooga  for  a  good  half 
year  since  the  battle  of  Murfreesborough ;  Magruder  had  recap 
tured  Galveston,  Texas,  taking  valuable  stores,  securing  a  fort  for 
the  Confederates,  and  greatly  depressing  the  Union  cause  in  that 
State ;  while  an  attempt  of  the  iron-clads  under  Dupont  to  reach 
Charleston  (see  page  554)  had  ended  in  disaster.  Worse  than  all 
these  repulses  at  the  hand  of  the  enemy,  a  powerful  peace  party 
had  arisen  in  the  Free  States,  which  either  openly  denounced  the 
effort  to  "  subjugate  the  sister  States,"  or  asked  for  quiet  at  the 
price  of  a  dissolution  of  the  Union. 

Encouraged  by  these  successes,  the  South  felt  that  the  time 
had  come  to  carry  the  war  into  the  North,  and  dictate  terms  of 
peace  in  Philadelphia  or  New  York.  With  the  flower  of  that 
infantry  which,  on  so  many  battle-fields,  had  wrenched  victories 
from  the  best  armies  and  generals  the  Federal  government  had 
yet  sent  forth,  Lee,  June  3d,  just  a  month  after  Chancellorsville, 
broke  camp,  moved  rapidly  down  the  Shenandoah,  and,  crossing 
the  Potomac,  advanced  to  Chambersburg. 

The  Confederates  very  generally  obeyed  Lee's  stringent  orders 
forbidding  all  plundering  and  wanton  waste  of  property.  A 
Southern  paper,  sarcastically  alluding  to  this  forbearance,  declared 
that  if  the  commander-in-chief  saw  a  top  rail  off  the  fence,  he 
would  dismount  and  replace  it.  The  army,  however,  lived  upon 
the  country  through  which  it  traveled — horses,  cattle,  and  supplies 
being  exacted  from  the  farmers.  York  was  ordered  to  have  ready 


548 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


[June-Ju.y, 


in  the  market-place,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  requisi 
tion,  "  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  barrels  of  flour,  or  twenty-eight 
thousand  pounds  baked  bread  ;  thirty-five  hundred  pounds  sugar ; 
sixteen  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  coffee ;  three  hundred  gallons 
molasses;  twelve  hundred  pounds  salt;  thirty-two  thousand 
pounds  fresh  beef,  or  twenty-one  thousand  pounds  bacon  or  pork ; 
two  thousand  pairs  shoes  or  boots  ;  one  thousand  pairs  socks ; 
one  thousand  felt  hats ;  and  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in 
money." 

The  Union  army  followed  northward  along  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  Blue  Ridge,  the  passes  of  which  were  occupied  by  Stuart's 

cavalry  and   gave   no   glimpse 
to  prying  Federal  eyes  of  what 
was   doing  on  the   other  side. 
June    27th,    Hooker    resigned, 
and  General  George  G.  Meade 
was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  the   army  of  the   Potomac. 
Stuart,  after  crossing  the  river, 
moved  off  on  the  Union  right, 
thus  leaving  Lee's  communica 
tions  with  Richmond   open  to 
the    Union   army  through   the 
gaps   in   the   South    Mountain. 
Lee   thereupon    turned   to   the 
east,  in  order  to  secure  a  good 
position  for  the  defensive  battle 
which  he  was  resolved  to  offer. 
Meade,   also   intending   to    act 
only  on  the  defensive,  had  de 
cided  to  make  a  stand  at  a  point  on  Pipe  Creek,  about  fifteen 
miles  southeast  from  Gettysburg.      Neither  commander  was  pur 
posing  a  battle  where  it  occurred  ;  but  mere  chance,  the  finger  of 
destiny,  or  the  hand  of  providence,  as  men  may  varyingly  style 
the  current  of  events,  steadily  drifted  the  two  armies  into  collision 
on  that  fatal  Cemetery  Ridge. 

Meade  had  sent  his  left  wing,  under  General  J.  F.  Reynolds, 
to  Gettysburg,  in  order  to  screen  the  movements  of  the  main 
body  toward  his  objective  point.  In  the  morning  of  July  ist,  Bu- 
ford's  cavalry,  moving  out  a  couple  of  miles  west  of  Gettysburg, 
struck  the  head  of  Lee's  advance.  Reynolds  hurried  to  the  front, 


MAJOR-GENERAL   GEORGE   G.  MEADE. 


VICINITY   OF   GETTYSBURG. 


J^y633']  BATTLE    OF    GETTYSBURG.  549 

and,  while  reconnoitering  the  enemy  through  a  fence,  was  struck 
by  a  sharp-shooter.  After  having  bravely  fought  in  Mexico, 
California,  and  Virginia,  he  returned  to  die  in  his  native  State, 
"  almost  within  sight  of  his  home."  Reinforcements  rapidly  came 
up  on  both  sides ;  but  the  Federal  troops  were  finally  forced 
back,  and,  becoming  entangled  in  the  streets  of  the  village, 
lost  many  men,  besides  abandoning  their  wounded.  Hancock 
arrived  at  the  moment  when  they  were  retreating  in  disorder 
through  the  town,  hotly  pursued  by  the  tri 
umphant  enemy.  He  at  once  made  ready  to 
hold  the  strong  position  on  Cemetery  Ridge 
already  occupied  by  General  Howard.  All 
the  men  at  hand  were  thrown  into  line,  and 
Buford's  cavalry  was  drawn  up  in  front  to 
offer  battle.  Awed  by  this  firm  appearance, 
and  ignorant  whether  the  whole  Union  army 
were  not  in  his  front,  Lee  decided  to  defer 
the  attack  till  morning.  Hancock  informed 
Meade  of  the  advantages  of  the  location,  and 
about  midnight  that  general  came  up,  when, 
amid  the  tombs  of  the  dead,  the  plans  were  laid  for  the  coming 
struggle. 

All  that  bright  moonlight  night  the  troops  were  arriving  and 
taking  their  positions.  By  morning,  both  armies,  each  about 
eighty  thousand  strong,  were  in  line  of  battle.  On  the  Union 
side,  Sedgwick's  corps,  having  thirty-six  miles  to  travel,  marched 
all  night,  and,  weary  and  footsore,  did  not  arrive  on  the  field 
until  afternoon.  On  the  Confederate,  Pickett's  division,  coming 
from  Chambersburg,  joined  Lee  about  the  same  time. 

The  Union  line  was  upon  a  fish-hook-shaped  ridge  about  six 
miles  long,  with  Gulp's  Hill  at  the  barb,  Cemetery  Ridge  along 
the  side,  and  Little  Round  Top  and  Round  Top — two  eminences — 
at  the  eye.  The  troops  lay  behind  rocky  ledges  and  stone  walls, 
constituting  a  natural  rampart,  which  they  soon  strengthened  by 
improvised  breastworks.  The  Confederate  line  was  on  Seminary 
Ridge,  at  a  distance  of  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  the  men  being 
largely  hidden  in  the  woods.  In  the  valley  between  the  hostile 
ranks  were  fields  of  golden  grain  and  green  meadows,  where 
cattle  were  quietly  grazing,  all  unheeding  the  gathering  storm. 

On  the  Union  left,  General  Sickles,  by  mistake,  had  taken  a 
position  in  front  of  Meade's  intended  line  of  battle.  Lee  saw  the 


550  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [J|8633> 

error,  and  sent  Longstreet  to  break  this  weak  point  and  carry 
Little  Round  Top.  It  was  the  key  to  the  Union  line,  yet  was 
strangely  left  unoccupied.  The  Confederates,  far  outflanking, 
swung  around  Sickles,  but  as  they  reached  the  summit  they 
met  Vincent's  brigade,  which  General  Warren  had,  by  a  quick 
thought,  sent  in  the  nick  of  time.  Vincent  fell,  and  also  Weed, 
who  came  with  a  brigade  to  his  relief;  but  the  hill  was  held,  and 
the  Texans,  whom  Lee  said  he  relied  upon  for  every  "  tight 
place,"  at  last  retired — their  commander,  Hood,  losing  an  arm. 
Sickles  was,  however,  crowded  back  to  Cemetery  Ridge,  where 
he  stood  firm.  Later  in  the  day,  General  Ewell  made  an  attack 
on  the  Federal  right,  then  greatly  weakened  by  detachments  sent 
to  help  Sickles,  and  succeeded  in  getting  a  position  on  Gulp's 
Hill. 

At  night,  the  Federal  army  had  been  forced  back  on  both  flanks. 
Lee,  encouraged  by  this  success,  and  by  the  wonderful  spirit  of  his 
men,  who  were  eager  and  confident,  resolved  to  continue  the  fight 
another  day.  The  Confederate  advantage,  however,  was  only  ap 
parent.  Sickles  was  then  in  a  better  position  than  at  first,  and  the 
one  which  Meade  had  intended  him  to  occupy  ;  while  Ewell  could 
not  hold  his  ground,  and  was  driven  out  of  the  Union  works  early 
the  next  morning. 

About  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day,  Lee,  hav 
ing  massed  one  hundred  and  forty-five  guns,  suddenly  opened  on 
Cemetery  Ridge.  For  two  hours  the  air  was  alive  with  shells. 
"  Every  size  and  form  of  shell  known  to  British  or  American  gun 
nery,"  says  Wilkinson,  "  shrieked,  whirled,  moaned,  whistled,  and 
wrathfully  fluttered  over  our  ground.  As  many  as  six  in  a  sec 
ond,  constantly  two  in  a  second,  came  screaming  around  the 
headquarters.  They  burst  in  the  yard  ;  burst  next  to  the  fence, 
garnished,  as  usual,  with  the  hitched  horses  of  aids  and  orderlies. 
The  fastened  animals  reared  and  plunged  with  terror.  One  horse 
fell ;  then  another ;  sixteen  lay  dead  and  mangled  before  the  fire 
ceased.  Through  the  midst  of  the  storm  of  screaming  and  ex 
ploding  shells,  an  ambulance,  driven  by  its  frenzied  conductor  at 
full  speed,  presented  to  all  of  us  the  marvelous  spectacle  of  a  horse 
going  rapidly  on  three  legs.  A  hinder  one  had  been  shot  off  at 
the  hock.  A  shell  tore  up  the  little  step  at  the  headquarters  cot 
tage,  and  ripped  bags  of  oats  as  with  a  knife.  Another  soon  car 
ried  off  one  of  its  two  pillars.  Soon  a  spherical  case  burst  opposite 
the  open  door;  another  tore  through  the  low  garret.  The  re- 


July  3, n 
1863.  J 


BATTLE    OF    GETTYSBURG. 


551 


maining  pillar  went  almost  immediately  to  the  howl  of  a  fixed 
shot  that  Whitworth  must  have  made.  Soldiers  in  Federal  blue 
were  torn  to  pieces  in  the  road,  and  died  with  the  peculiar  yell 
that  blends  the  extorted  cry  of  pain  with  horror  and  despair." 
The  Union  guns  replied  for  a  time,  and  were  then  withdrawn  to 
cool.  The  men  lay  crouching  behind  rocks  and  hiding  in  hollows 


REPULSING  A   CHARGE   AT   GETTYSBURG. 


from  the  iron  tempest  which  drove  over  the  hill,  anxiously  await 
ing  the  charge  which  they  knew  would  follow. 

Finally  the  cannonade  lulled,  and  out  of  the  woods  swept  the 
Confederate  double  battle-line,  over  a  mile  in  length,  preceded  by 
a  cloud  of  skirmishers,  and  with  wings  on  either  side  to  prevent 
its  being  flanked.  A  thrill  of  admiration  ran  along  the  Union 
ranks,  as,  silently  and  with  disciplined  steadiness,  that  magnificent 
column  of  eighteen  thousand  men  moved  up  the  slope  with  its  red 
battle-flags  flying  and  the  sun  playing  on  its  burnished  bayonets. 
A  quarter  of  a  mile  away  and  a  hundred  guns  opened  upon  it. 
Great  gaps  were  torn  in  the  front,  but  the  men  closed  up  and 
sternly  moved  on.  Then  the  "quick  time"  became  "  double- 


552  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [J|8634> 

quick,"  and  they  dashed  forward  on  the  run.  Infantry  volleys 
now  struck  their  ranks.  Their  line  was  broken,  and  their  sup 
ports  were  scattered  to  the  wind.  Still  Pickett's  veteran  Virgin 
ians  pushed  forward.  They  planted  their  battle-flags  on  the  breast 
works.  They  bayoneted  the  cannoneers  at  their  guns.  But  be 
yond,  upon  the  crest  of  the  hill,  was  a  second  and  stronger  line. 
As  they  dashed  ahead  to  charge  this,  the  Federal  fire  smote  them 
full  in  the  face  and  on  either  flank.  The  whole  column  seemed  to 
break  into  pieces  and  disappear  at  once.  The  bravest  gave  up  in 
despair.  Many  surrendered,  while  the  wreck  fled  from  the  field, 
leaving  the  ground  strewn  with  the  debris  of  battle — the  wounded 
and  the  dead.  The  division  had  lost  three  generals,  fourteen 
field-officers,  and  three-fourths  of  its  men. 

This  was  the  supreme  moment  of  the  war.  At  that  very  time 
Pemberton  was  seated  beside  Grant,  under  an  oak-tree  near 
Vicksburg,  negotiating  for  the  surrender  of  that  city.  These 
disasters  determined  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy.  From  that 
hour  its  fate  was  sealed.  Yet  at  the  time  the  issue  did  not  seem 
so  clear  as  it  does  now  to  the  historian. 

Lee  had  staked  all  on  this  charge,  and  he  made  no  attempt  to 
renew  the  battle.  In  the  three-days  fight  he  had  lost  probably 
thirty-six  thousand  and  Meade  twenty-three  thousand  men.  The 
Union  commander  was  severely  criticised  at  the  North  for  not 
immediately  attacking  Cemetery  Ridge  before  the  enemy  could 
rally  from  its  confusion.  He  probably  judged  wisely  in  being 
content  with  the  victory  he  had  achieved.  Lee  expected  such  a 
charge,  and  was  ready  to  receive  it.  The  morale  of  the  Confeder 
ate  army  was  not  shaken.  Its  confidence  in  its  commander  was 
strong,  and  the  veterans  came  back  from  Cemetery  Ridge  saying, 
"  Uncle  Robert  will  get  us  into  Washington  yet,  you  bet  he  will." 

On  the  4th,  Lee  retreated,  and  nine  days  after  crossed  the 
Potomac,  Meade  slowly  following.  The  second  invasion  of  the 
North  had  ended  in  disaster.  The  first  lasted  thirteen  days ;  this, 
seventeen  days  ;  the  two  had  cost  the  South  at  least  eighty  or 
ninety  thousand  men.  Lee  retired  back  of  the  Rapidan,  sending 
Longstreet  south  to  Bragg.  Meade  likewise  detached  Hooker  to 
Chattanooga. 

A  curious  circumstance  mentioned  in  the  official  accounts  of 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg  shows  to  what  extent,  on  both  sides,  the 
excitement  of  the  conflict  caused  the  loss  of  self-possession  among 
the  soldiers.  Of  twenty-four  thousand  loaded  muskets  picked  up 


°CI863!VM]  FALL    CAMPAIGN    IN    VIRGINIA.  553 

at  random  on  the  field  of  battle,  one-fourth  only  were  properly 
loaded ;  twelve  thousand  contained  each  a  double  charge,  and  the 
other  fourth  from  three  to  ten  charges ;  in  some  were  six  balls  to 
a  single  charge  of  powder ;  others  contained  six  cartridges,  one  on 
the  top  of  the  other,  none  having  been  opened ;  a  few  more  had 
twenty-three  complete  charges  regularly  inserted  (this  can  be  ac 
counted  for  by  the  fact  that,  amid  the  din  of  battle,  one  cannot 
hear  the  report  of  his  gun) ;  and  finally,  in  the  barrel  of  a  single 
musket  there  were  found  jumbled  together  twenty -two  balls,  sixty- 
two  buck-shot,  and  a  proportionate  quantity  of  powder. 

In  October  there  occurred  a  trial  of  tactical  skill  which  is 
interesting,  though  it  did  not  result  in  any  great  battle.  Lee 
recrossed  the  Rapidan,  intending  to  turn  Meade's  right  flank  and 
force  him  to  a  battle.  Meade  detected  the  plan,  and  began  to 
retreat.  So  well  executed  was  the  movement,  that  when  the 
Confederate  army  entered  Culpepper,  scarce  a  cracker-box  was 
found  to  reward  the  pursuit.  Lee  pressed  on,  hoping  to  strike 
the  Orange  and  Alexandria  railroad  near  Manassas,  in  the  rear  of 
the  Union  army.  The  Federal  columns,  however,  moved  with 
such  celerity,  that  the  rear-guard  only  was  overtaken  near  Bristoe 
station.  Here  Warren  turned  sharply  upon  the  enemy,  dealt  him 
a  staggering  blow,  and  then  safely  joined  the  army  at  Centerville. 
Lee,  disappointed  in  his  object,  ceased  the  pursuit,  and,  content 
with  two  thousand  prisoners,  taken  in  several  sharp  encounters 
which  had  occurred,  retired  to  his  former  position  near  Orange 
Court-House.  Meade  followed  him  up  closely,  at  Kelly's  Ford 
routing  Early  and  capturing  nearly  his  whole  command. 

A  curious  incident  happened  during  this  advance.  General 
Stuart  was  vigorously  pursuing  the  Federal  forces  when,  on  the 
night  of  the  1 3th,  near  Auburn,  he  suddenly  found  that  strong 
columns  of  the  enemy  were  passing  along  in  front  and  rear  of  the 
woods  where  he  was  encamped,  the  nearest  one  not  over  two 
hundred  or  three  hundred  yards  distant.  If  discovered,  his  fate 
was  sealed.  The  only  resource  was  to  keep  silent  and  await  the 
turn  of  events.  His  troopers  accordingly  sat  their  horses  through 
the  night,  anxiously  listening  to  the  roll  of  artillery,  the  tramp  of 
cavalry,  and  the  steady  march  of  infantry.  At  dawn,  seeing  the 
Federal  rear  encamped  near  by  and  quietly  preparing  their  break 
fast,  he  suddenly  opened  his  guns,  promiscuously  knocking  over 
their  coffee-pots,  while,  under  cover  of  a  heavy  fire,  his  men 
dashed  off  in  safety. 


554  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [Api863U'y' 

November  26th,  Meade  in  turn  crossed  the  Rapidan,  thinking 
to  cut  up  in  detail  the  Confederate  army,  then  scattered  in  winter- 
quarters.  Lee  rapidly  concentrated  his  troops  behind  Mine  Run, 
and  fortified  his  lines.  Trees  were  cut  down,  and  the  logs  piled  up 
in  double  walls,  and  filled  in  with  earth.  In  front  was  a  sluggish 
stream,  with  steep  and  slippery  banks.  The  Federal  troops  felt 
that  his  position  was  unassailable,  and  it  is  said  that  the  men 
detailed  for  the  attack  wrote  their  names  on  bits  of  paper,  which 
they  pinned  to  their  breasts,  to  enable  their  bodies  to  be  recog 
nized.  The  assault  was  finally  abandoned,  the  Union  army 
secretly  withdrawn  to  its  former  quarters,  and  the  campaign  of 
the  army  of  the  Potomac  for  the  year  1863  was  closed. 

During  this  year,  the  events  of  the  greatest  moment  along  the 
seaboard  occurred  at  Charleston.  Such  was  the  confidence  then 
felt  in  the  ability  of  iron-clads  to  resist  the  heaviest  cannonade, 
that  Admiral  Dupont  attempted,  April  /th,  to  run  past  the 
batteries  and  enter  the  harbor  of  that  city.  The  little  fleet, 
mounting  only  thirty-two  guns,  accordingly  moved  up  the  chan 
nel  ;  but  the  vessels  were  stopped  by  obstructions,  and  held  under 
the  concentrated  fire  of  three  hundred  cannon.  The  Keokuk, 
which  was  in  advance,  was  struck  ninety-nine  times,  the  officers 
declaring  that  they  heard  the  balls  pounding  against  the  iron  sides 
of  their  ships  as  rapidly  as  the  ticks  of  a  watch.  All  the  monitors 
were  more  or  less  injured,  and  were  glad  to  creep  out  of  harm's 
way  again. 

In  July,  General  Gillmore,  being  placed  in  charge  of  the  Union 
troops,  secured  a  landing  on  Morris's  Island,  a  low  sandy  beach 
but  little  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  An  attack  on  Fort  Wagner, 
a  strong  fortification  at  the  northern  end  of  the  island,  having 
failed,  after  a  heavy  bombardment  it  was  again  assaulted  on  the 
night  of  July  i8th.  The  men  double-quicked  across  the  sand 
half  a  mile,  under  a  heavy  fire  of  guns,  great  and  small.  Though 
their  ranks  were  torn  by  hand-grenades,  they  struggled  through 
the  ditch  and  planted  their  flag  on  the  top  of  the  crumbling 
wall.  It  was  only  for  an  instant.  General  Strong  was  mortally 
wounded ;  Colonel  Shaw  and  others  were  killed.  The  survivors 
crept  off  in  the  friendly  darkness.  In  this  disastrous  failure,  the 
Union  loss  was  twelve  hundred,  and  the  Confederate  not  over 
one  hundred. 

Colonel  Shaw  was  in  command  of  the  Fifty-fourth  colored 
regiment.  It  was  the  first  raised  in  the  Free  States.  In  order  to 


AUgi863e.Pt"]  BEFORE    CHARLESTON.  555 

be  in  season  for  the  assault,  it  had  marched  two  days  through 
heavy  sands  and  drenching  storms.  With  only  five  minutes  rest, 
it  took  its  place  at  the  front  of  the  attacking  column.  The  men 
fought  with  unflinching  gallantry,  and  so  many  of  the  officers 
were  killed  that  the  remainder  of  the  troops  was  led  off  by  a  boy, 
Lieutenant  Higginson.  The  garrison,  to  show  their  contempt  for 
the  colonel,  a  noted  abolitionist,  "  threw  his  body  into  the  same 
pit  with  his  niggers." 

A  regular  siege  was  now  undertaken.  Parallels  were  rapidly 
pushed  close  to  the  walls.  By  night,  powerful  calcium  lights 
blinded  the  eyes  of  the  garrison,  while  they  brought  out  every 
angle  of  the  works  vividly  to  the  aim  of  the  besiegers.  At  last, 
the  fort  being  silenced  and  its  men  driven  into  their  bomb-proof 
for  shelter,  Gillmore  was  preparing  for  a  third  assault  when  the 
place  was  evacuated. 

Meanwhile,  Sumter  had  been  bombarded  until  it  was  reduced 
to  a  shapeless  mass  of  ruins.  On  the  night  of  September  8th,  a 
party  of  sailors,  landing  from  the  fleet,  clambered  up  the  heaps  of 
rubbish,  only  to  meet  the  garrison  starting  out  from  their  hiding- 
places,  and  to  be  all  either  killed  or  captured. 

In  a  marsh  west  of  Morris's  Island,  piles  were  driven  into  the 
soft,  black  mud,  twenty  feet  deep,  and  a  platform  was  made,  on 
which  was  placed  an  eight-inch  rifled  Parrot  gun,  nicknamed  by 
the  soldiers  "  the  Swamp  Angel."  It  threw  1 5o-lb.  shells  five  miles 
into  Charleston,  but  burst  on  the  thirty-sixth  round.  The  bom 
bardment  of  the  city  was  afterward  continued  from  the  other 
batteries. 

After  the  disaster  at  Gettysburg,  the  Confederate  Congress 
decreed  a  more  rigorous  conscription  act,  ordering  all  male  per 
sons  from  eighteen  to  forty-five  to  repair  to  camp  on  pain  of  being 
considered  deserters.  Before  the  close  of  the  year,  the  age  was 
extended  to  fifty-five,  and  no  exemption  allowed,  even  where  a 
substitute  had  been  previously  furnished.  The  next  year,  the 
whole  male  population  was  rendered  liable  to  military  service. 

The  Federal  government  passed  a  conscription  law,  March  3d, 
enrolling  all  able-bodied  citizens  between  twenty  and  forty-five 
years,  and  in  May,  the  President  ordered  a  draft  of  three  hundred 
thousand  men.  The  project  was  exceedingly  unpopular,  and  was 
bitterly  denounced  on  every  hand.  The  anti-slavery  measures  of 
the  administration  had  already  awakened  a  wide-spread  hostility 
to  the  war.  While  Pickett's  column  was  assaulting  Cemetery 


556 


THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


[July-Nov., 
186 


1863. 


Ridge,  inflammatory  handbills  were  being  circulated  in  New 
York.  July  1 3th,  a  riot  broke  out  in  that  city.  The  mob  rose  in 
arms,  sacked  houses,  demolished  the  offices  of  the  provost-mar 
shals,  burned  the  colored  orphan  asylum,  attacked  the  police, 
and  chased  negroes — women  and  children  even — wherever  they 
appeared  on  the  streets,  and,  when  caught,  hanged  them  on  the 


DRAFTING. 


nearest  lamp-post.  For  four  days,  the  populace  ruled.  Veterans 
from  the  army  of  the  Potomac  then  arrived  upon  the  scene,  when 
law  and  order  were  soon  restored.  Two  million  dollars  of  prop 
erty  had  been  destroyed,  and  it  is  said  that  one  thousand  of  the 
rioters  had  fallen. 

A  part  of  the  Gettysburg  battle-field  was  dedicated  as  a 
national  cemetery,  November  iQth.  After  the  usual  solemnities, 
President  Lincoln  came  forward,  and,  amid  the  tiers  of  encircling 
graves,  slowly,  tremulously  pronounced  these  memorable  words: 
"  We  cannot  consecrate  nor  hallow  this  ground.  The  brave  men, 


f8P6r^;]  CAVALRY    RAIDS.  557 

living  and  dead,  who  struggled  here,  have  consecrated  it  far 
above  our  power  to  add  or  detract.  The  world  will  but  little 
note,  nor  long  remember,  what  we  say  here  ;  but  it  can  never 
forget  what  they  did  here.  It  is  for  us,  the  living,  rather  to  dedi 
cate  ourselves  to  the  unfinished  work  which  they  so  nobly 
advanced  ;  to  consecrate  ourselves  to  the  great  task  remaining, 
and  to  gather  from  the  graves  of  these  honored  dead  increased 
devotion  to  that  cause  for  which  they  gave  their  lives.  Here  let 
us  resolve  that  they  shall  not  have  died  in  vain  ;  that  this  nation 
shall,  under  God,  have  a  new  birth  of  freedom  ;  and  that  govern 
ment  of  the  people,  by  the  people,  and  for  the  people  shall  not 
perish  forever  from  the  earth." 

"  His  voice  all  elegies  anticipated, 
For  whatsoe'er  the  strain, 
We  hear  that  one  refrain  : 
We  consecrate  ourselves  to  them,  the  consecrated  ! " 

During  this  year  there  were  several  minor  expeditions  which 
at  the  time  attracted'  much  attention,  though  they  exercised  little 
influence  on  the  issue  of  the  war,  and  served  mainly  to  excite  the 
bitterest  feeling  on  both  sides.  April  i;th,  while  Grant  was  pre 
paring  to  move  below  Vicksburg,  Colonel  Grierson,  with  seven 
teen  hundred  Union  horsemen,  started  south  from  La  Grange,  Ten 
nessee.  He  traversed  the  country  in  the  rear  of  the  Confederate 
forces,  in  sixteen  days  marching  six  hundred  miles,  and  destroy 
ing  railroads  and  supplies  wherever  he  could  reach  them.  De 
tachments  sent  out  to  mislead  his  pursuers  often  traveled  sixty 
miles  a  day  over  almost  bottomless  roads  to  regain  the  main  body. 
Near  Louisville  he  crossed  a  swamp  where,  for  eight  miles,  the 
water  was  from  three  to  four  feet  deep,  and  in  which  twenty  of 
his  horses  were  drowned.  The  last  twenty-eight  hours  he  rode 
seventy-six  miles,  swimming  a  river,  fighting  two  skirmishes,  and 
capturing  a  camp.  He  reached  Baton  Rouge  at  last  with  three- 
fourths  of  his  men  asleep  in  their  saddles. 

About  the  same  time,  Rosecrans  sent  Colonel  Streight  and 
eighteen  hundred  cavalry  to  raid  in  the  rear  of  Bragg's  army  and 
destroy  the  manufactories  at  Rome  and  Atlanta.  He  was  over 
taken,  however,  by  Forrest  and  Roddy,  beaten  in  a  running  fight 
of  over  one  hundred  miles,  and  finally  forced  to  surrender.  The 
men  were  exchanged,  but  Streight  and  his  officers  were  confined 
in  Libby  Prison,  Richmond,  on  the  charge  of  having  negro  sol- 


558  THIRD    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

diers  under  their  command.  After  a  confinement  of  nearly  a  year, 
Streight  escaped  with  many  of  his  companions,  and  after  a  series 
of  romantic  adventures,  reached  the  Union  lines. 

Just  before  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  Hooker  sent  General 
Stoneman  with  twelve  thousand  cavalry  to  destroy  the  railroads 
in  the  rear  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  to  cut  off  Lee's  retreat  to 
Richmond.  Stoneman  weakened  his  force  by  dividing  it  into  six 
detachments.  Unable  to  accomplish  anything,  they  could  only 
run  from  the  enemy  instead  of  after  him.  Some  of  them  finally 
fled  down  the  Peninsula,  and  the  rest  escaped  across  the  Rappa- 
hannock  to  the  Union  lines.  Meanwhile,  the  little  gaps  they  had 
made  in  the  railroads  were  repaired  within  three  days. 

Cotemporaneous  with  Lee's  invasion  of  Maryland,  that  daring 
rider,  John  H.  Morgan,  crossed  the  Cumberland  with  two  thou 
sand  well-mounted  horsemen.  At  Tebb's  Bend  on  Green  River 
he  found  two  hundred  Michigan  volunteers  entrenched  behind 
earthworks  which  had  been  thrown  up  within  twenty-four  hours. 
Colonel  Moore,  the  commander,  being  summoned  to  surrender, 
replied :  "  If  to-day  were  not  the  4th  of  July,  we  might  think  of 
it."  Driven  thence  by  this  plucky  little  garrison,  Morgan  next 
attacked  a  post  at  Lebanon,  under  Colonel  Hanson,  and  compelled 
it  to  capitulate.  His  force  having  increased  to  four  thousand  men, 
he  crossed  the  Ohio,  July  7th,  and  marched  in  an  easterly  zigzag 
course  through  Indiana  and  Ohio.  En  route  he  destroyed  bridges 
and  depots,  cut  telegraph  wires,  burned  factories  and  mills,  and 
picked  up  the  best  horses.  He  reached  the  Ohio  River  again 
near  Parkersburg.  The  Federal  gun-boats,  however,  came  up; 
the  militia  fast  gathered  on  his  path ;  and  after  several  ineffectual 
attempts  to  recross  the  river,  he  was  captured  with  most  of  his 
command. 

On  the  night  of  August  2ist,  a  guerilla  band  from  Missouri  of 
about  three  hundred  men,  under  Quantrell,  attacked  Lawrence, 
Kansas.  They  burned  houses,  plundered  stores,  shot  peaceful 
men  at  their  doors,  and  finally  rode  off,  leaving  behind  them  one 
hundred  and  forty  dead  bodies  and  one  hundred  and  eighty -five 
ruined  homes. 

A  great  desire  being  felt  at  the  North  to  effect  the  release  of 
the  Union  prisoners  at  Richmond,  during  the  winter  of  1863-4  an 
expedition  was  sent  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  for  that  pur 
pose.  Fifteen  hundred  cavalry  under  Custer  made  a  feint  on  the 
west  flank  of  the  Confederate  forces;  while  Kilpatrick  with  a 


March.1 
1864.  J 


CAVALRY    RAID    ON    RICHMOND. 


559 


-stronger  body  moved  by  the  East,  through  Spottsylvania  Court- 
House.  The  latter  passed  the  first  and  second  lines  of  defence 
before  Richmond,  but  was  stopped  by  the  third,  and  being  fiercely 
pursued,  was  driven  pell-mell  down  the  Peninsula.  Meanwhile,  a 
detachment  under  Colonel  Dahlgren — a  young  man  of  only  twenty- 
one,  who  had  already  lost  a  foot  in  the  service — turned  to  the  right, 
intending  to  cross  the  James  and  enter  Richmond  from  the  south. 
But  finding  the  river  too  deep  to  ford,  Dahlgren  passed  down  the 
north  bank  and  charged  the  Richmond  defences  on  the  night  of 
March  2d.  Being  repulsed,  and  finding  Kilpatrick  had  fled,  he 
attempted  to  follow,  but  at  Dabney's  Ford,  on  the  Mattapony,  he 
was  killed  and  his  command  scattered. 


~"**>i"fl 

NATIONAL  MONUMENT  AT   GETTYSBURG. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


FOURTH    YEAfc   OF   THE   CIVIL    Wjifc—i864. 

RANT  was  made  Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral  and  commander  of  all  the 
forces  of  the  United  States,  March 
2d.  Leaving  Sherman  in  charge 
of  the  Western  troops,  he  took  up 
his  headquarters  with  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac ;  Meade,  however, 
still  retaining  his  former  position. 
General  Phil.  H.  Sheridan  was  put 
at  the  head  of  the  cavalry.  The 
strength  of  the  Confederates  was 
concentrated  under  Lee  in  Vir 
ginia  and  Johnston  in  Georgia. 
While  the  army  of  the  Potomac  was  crossing  the  Rapidan, 
May  4th,  Grant,  seated  on  a  log  by  the  road-side,  penciled  a  tele 
gram  to  Sherman  to  take  the  field  immediately.  Sherman  had 
then  in  his  department  the  enormous  number  of  three  hundred 
and  fifty-two  thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-five  men.  One  can 
form  some  idea  of  the  waste  of  our  mode  of  warfare  when  he  learns 
that  the  total  effective  force  was  only  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  twelve,  and  on  no  occasion  was 
half  of  this  number  actually  engaged  in  battle.  The  Confederate 
army  aggregated  nearly  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  with 
only  a  little  over  fifty  thousand  present  for  duty. 

May  6th,  Sherman  advanced  from  Chattanooga.  Johnston,  ex 
pecting  this  movement,  had  entrenched  his  army  at  Dalton.  In 
his  front  was  Rocky-Face  Ridge,  pierced  by  a  rugged  glen  known 
as  Buzzard  Roost,  through  which  wound  the  railroad.  A  demon 
stration  having  shown  this  pass  to  be  impregnable,  Sherman  sent 
General  McPherson  with  his  corps  through  Snake  Creek  Gap 
toward  Resaca,  thus  turning  the  Confederate  left.  Johnston 


MH364"'y']  SHERMAN'S    MARCH    TO    ATLANTA.  561 

fell  back  hastily  to  Resaca,  already  strongly  fortified.  Here 
Sherman  pressed  heavily  in  front,  while  McPherson,  on  the  Union 
right,  gained  a  post  which  enfiladed  the  enemy's  works.  The  next 
day  the  national  troops  obtained  a  foothold  close  to  the  Confederate 
entrenchments,  dug  away  the  earth,  pulled  out  the  cannon  with 
ropes,  and,  bursting  through  the  breach,  secured  a  lodgment 
within  the  lines.  During  the  night,  Johnston  retreated.  The 
pursuit  was  so  vigorous  as  to  save  one  of  the  bridges  over  the 
river.  The  broad  valley  of  the  Etowah  and  the  Oostenaula,  with 
the  foundries  and  the  mills  at  Rome,  fell  into  the  Union  hands. 

At  Allatoona  Pass,  Johnston  made  a  new  stand.  Sherman  did 
not  attempt  to  force  him  thence,  but  moved  around  upon  the  Con 
federate  left  toward  Dallas.  Johnston  had  anticipated  this,  and,  at 
New  Hope  Church,  was  found  waiting  to  head  off  the  advance. 
Desperate  assaults  were  made  to  and  fro.  Finally  the  Union  army 
worked  past  into  the  rear  of  Allatoona,  when  Johnston  evacuated 
all  his  posts  and  retired  to  Lost,  Pine  and  Kenesaw  Mountains. 
Here  the  whole  country  was  one  vast  fort  with  fifty  miles  of  en 
trenchments,  above  which  towered  "the  everlasting  hill"  of  Kene 
saw,  whence  the  Confederates  could  watch  every  movement  in 
the  national  lines. 

Sherman,  wishing,  it  is  said,  to  "show  that  he  could  assault 
fortified  lines  as  well  as  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,"  June  27th, 
made  two  fierce  dashes  upon  the  enemy's  works.  Both  were 
repulsed,  with  a  loss  of  three  thousand  men  and  many  valuable 
officers.  Resorting  then  to  his  favorite  tactics,  he  swung  his  army 
around  toward  Turner's  Ferry.  The  result  was  magical.  Before 
daylight  the  next  day  the  Union  outposts  were  creeping  over  the 
deserted  entrenchments  on  Kenesaw. 

Johnston  next  endeavored  to  defend  the  strong  t$te  du  pont  and 
outworks  at  the  crossing  of  the  Chattahoochee.  Amusing  the 
Confederate  army  by  demonstrations  in  front,  Sherman  secretly 
sent  off  Scofield,  Howard,  and  McPherson  to  the  left.  They 
quickly  laid  bridges,  and  were  soon  across  the  stream  above  the 
Confederate  lines.  Johnston's  position  was  once  more  turned,  and 
he  was  ere  long  en  route  for  Atlanta. 

Johnston  was  not  in  the  confidence  of  the  Confederate  authori 
ties.  Failing  to  appreciate  the  magnificent  strategy  by  which  he 
had  so  long  delayed  the  Federal  advance,  they  superseded  him, 
July  1 7th,  by  General  Hood.  The  Fabian  tactics  were  at  once 
exchanged  for  a  more  dashing  policy. 

36 


$62  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [JulJ864.Pt" 

Sherman  was  moving  down  upon  Atlanta,  when,  on  the  2Oth, 
Hood  gave  him  a  staggering  blow,  which  was  warded  off.  Again, 
on  the  22d,  Hood,  having  sent  Hardee  with  a  heavy  column  by  a 
night-march  to  turn  the  Union  left,  suddenly  enveloped  it  with  a 
superior  force.  A  desperate  battle  ensued.  The  Federals  facing 
now  this  way  and  now  that,  as  the  enemy  came  upon  them  from 
the  forest,  fought  sometimes  on  one  side  and  sometimes  on  the 
other  of  their  breastworks,  and  sometimes  without  any  protection. 
McPherson  was  at  headquarters  when  the  sound  of  the  guns  in 
dicated  danger.  He  at  once  galloped  in  that  direction,  down  a 
quiet  country  lane  in  the  rear  of  his  line.  Some  dropping  shots 
were  heard,  and  then  a  riderless  horse  came  dashing  back  from 
the  woods.  When  help  arrived,  this  gallant,  Christian  warrior 
was  no  more.  Hours  of  fierce  fighting  followed,  but  the  Con 
federates  were  at  length  repulsed  with  heavy  loss. 

Six  days  after,  Hood  made  a  third  tremendous  sally  upon  the 
Union  position.  It  was  useless.  During  the  next  four  weeks, 
Sherman  kept  feeling  the  formidable  works  about  Atlanta ;  but 
finding  them  too  strong  for  a  direct  assault,  he  loaded  his  wagons 
with  fifteen-days  provisions,  and,  by  a  circuit,  brought  his  whole 
army  around  in  the  rear  of  the  city  and  seized  the  railroad.  Hood, 
detecting  the  movement,  sent  Hardee  with  two  corps  to  Jones- 
borough  to  guard  his  line  of  supplies.  Sherman  instantly  closed 
down  upon  him.  The  Confederate  army  was  irrevocably  sun 
dered,  and  the  Union  forces  were  between  the  two  portions. 
Hardee,  however,  managed  to  escape.  Hood  evacuated  the  city, 
after  blowing  up  the  magazines,  depots,  and  machine-shops.  Thus 
the  Confederate  army,  which  was  the  chief  object  of  attack, 
slipped  away. 

The  campaign  had  lasted  from  May  6th  to  September  2d.  In 
its  ten  pitched  battles  and  scores  of  minor  engagements,  it  had 
cost  the  Union  army  about  thirty  thousand  and  the  Confederate 
forty  thousand  men.  It  had  been  almost  a  constant  skirmish. 
Said  Sherman,  "  I  have  not  seen  ten  thousand  of  the  enemy  in  one 
view,  yet,  by  advancing  my  lines  one  hundred  yards,  I  could  at 
any  time  draw  the  fire  of  one  hundred  guns  and  fifty  thousand 
muskets." 

When  either  party  stopped,  even  for  a  brief  time,  it  fortified 
its  front  with  an  abattis  of  felled  trees  and  a  ditch  with  a  head-log 
placed  on  the  embankment.  The  head-log  was  a  tree,  twelve  or 
fifteen  inches  in  diameter,  resting  on  small  cross-sticks,  leaving  a 


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CIVJDLTVAR 

WESTERN  REGION. 

Scale  of  i i i  Milei 


564  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [Sepi864.°V>' 

space  of  four  or  five  inches  between  the  log  and  the  dirt,  through 
which  the  guns  could  be  pointed.  Thus,  in  a  few  hours,  a  field- 
work  was  thrown  up  which  was  almost  unassailable. 

Sherman's  supplies  during  the  entire  campaign  had  been 
brought  by  a  single  line  of  railroad  from  Nashville,  a  distance  of 
three  hundred  miles,  exposed  throughout  to  the  attacks  of  the 
enemy.  Yet  so  carefully  was  it  garrisoned,  and  so  rapidly  were 
bridges  built  and  breaks  repaired,  that  the  damages  made  by  the 
Confederate  cavalry  were  often  mended  before  the  news  of  the 
accident  had  reached  the  front.  The  whistle  of  the  locomotive 
was  frequently  heard  on  the  camp-ground  before  the  echoes  of 
the  skirmish  fire  had  died  away. 

The  loss  of  Atlanta  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  South ;  as  it  was  a 
great  railroad  centre,  and  the  chief  seat  of  her  machine-shops  and 
manufactories.  The  Confederacy  was  cut  off  from  Georgia — its 
granary,  arsenal,  and  workshop. 

Hood,  having  reunited  his  army,  moved  northward  as  far  as 
Dalton,  capturing  several  small  posts  along  the  line  of  the  Federal 
communications.  Sherman  pursued  him  eagerly,  hoping  to  bring 
him  to  battle,  but  Hood  slipped  out  of  his  fingers,  and  at  last 
struck  for  the  Tennessee.  Sherman  gave  up  the  pursuit  at  Gayles- 
ville,  Alabama,  and,  sending  Thomas  to  Nashville  to  gather  troops 
to  meet  Hood's  invasion,  turned  back  to  Atlanta  and  prepared  his 
army  for  his  famous  March  to  the  Sea. 

Reinforcements  were  ordered  to  General  Thomas ;  the  sick 
and  wounded  were  sent  back  to  Chattanooga ;  supplies  for  forty 
days  were  packed  in  the  wagons ;  the  railroads  were  destroyed  ; 
and  a  large  part  of  Atlanta  was  burned,  all  the  buildings  on 
two  hundred  acres  of  ground  being  left  a  heap  of  ruins.  The 
last  thing,  a  telegram  was  sent  to  Thomas — "  All  is  well  " — 
when  the  wire  was  cut.  The  army,  sixty  thousand  strong,  stood 
free  on  southern  soil.  November  i6th,  it  struck  out  boldly  for 
the  sea,  three  hundred  miles  away.  The  left  wing,  under  Gen 
eral  Slocum,  moved  along  the  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  rail 
road,  and  the  right,  under  General  Howard,  along  the  Western 
and  Macon  and  the  Central  Georgia  railroad.  The  tracks  were 
torn  up  and  the  rails  destroyed  as  they  passed.  A  cloud  of  cav 
alry  under  Kilpatrick  and  lines  of  skirmishers  covered  the  march 
and  guarded  against  a  surprise.  The  troops  foraged  upon  the 
country  along  the  route.  A  swath  sixty  miles  wide  was  thus  cut 
through  the  very  heart  of  the  Confederacy.  The  path  of  the 


Nov.-Dec-.H 
1864.      J 


THE    MARCH    TO    THE    SEA. 


$6$ 


^^M^V'i  J 


army  was  marked  by  trampled 
fields,  deserted  villages,  and 
chimneys  standing  sentinel 
over  blackened  ruins.  The 
able-bodied  men  had  been  sent 
North  to  Lee  and  Johnston, 
and  the  "  gray -beards  and 
boys"  that  were  left  could  offer 
no  effective  resistance.  A  feint 
on  Augusta  led  to  a  concentra 
tion  at  that  city  of  what  forces 
could  be  gathered,  leaving  the 
route  to  Savannah  open;  and 
Sherman  rapidly  moved  down 
the  peninsula  between  the  Sa 
vannah  and  Ogeechee  Rivers. 

December  Qth,  three  scouts 
left  the  army.  Paddling  down 
the  river  by  night,  and  hiding 
in  the  swamps  by  day,  they 
crept  past  the  enemy's  pickets 
unobserved,  and  reached  the 
Federal  fleet  in  safety.  They 
brought  the  first  direct  news  received  at  Washington  from  the 
lost  army  since  it  swung  loose  from  Atlanta. 

Fort  McAllister,  a  strong  redoubt  on  the  Ogeechee,  was  car 
ried  by  Hazen's  division.  The  garrison  of  two  hundred  fought 
desperately,  and  gave  up  only  as  each  man  was  overpowered ;  but 


THE  MARCH  TO  THE  SEA. 


566  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

in  fifteen  minutes  from  the  time  the  bugle  sounded  the  charge,  the 
Stars  and  Bars  were  run  down  from  the  flag-staff. 

The  army  then  rapidly  closed  in  around  Savannah.  Hardee, 
in  command  of  its  defences,  despairing  of  a  successful  resistance, 
evacuated  the  city,  and  the  Union  army  entered  in  triumph. 
Sherman  sent  to  "  President  Lincoln,  as  a  Christmas  present  to 
the  nation,"  the  news  of  its  capture  with  twenty-five  thousand 
bales  of  cotton  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  cannon. 

The  March  to  the  Sea  had  proved  a  magnificent  military 
promenade.  Sherman's  entire  loss  was  only  five  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  men  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  If  the  destruc 
tion  of  property  be  the  object  of  war,  it  had  been  a  great  success. 
Sherman  estimated  the  damage  done  at  one  hundred  million 
dollars. 

We  left  Hood  making  another  sortie  within  the  Union  lines. 
It  was  a  desperate  venture,  and  he  marched  only  to  his  doom. 
About  the  middle  of  November,  he  crossed  the  Tennessee  at 
Florence.  Generals  Scofield  and  Stanley  were  in  his  front  with 
twenty  thousand  men,  about  half  as  many  as  were  in  his  com 
mand,  seeking  to  delay  his  advance  upon  Nashville.  Hood 
pressed  them  steadily  back,  at  Spring  Hill  coming  within  half  a 
mile  of  cutting  off  their  line  of  retreat,  and  at  last  caught  them  at 
Franklin  before  they  could  cross  the  river.  Scofield  hastily  threw 
up  slight  works  on  the  south  bank  and  made  a  stand  with  a  part 
of  the  troops,  while  the  rest  guarded  the  trains,  which  were  rap 
idly  pushed  forward.  About  four  P.  M.,  November  3Oth,  Hood 
made  a  tremendous  dash  upon  the  entrenchments.  By  sheer 
might,  the  Confederate  column  swept  everything  before  it,  and 
soon  the  Federals,  guns  and  men,  were  streaming  wildly  to  the 
bridges  in  the  rear.  At  this  moment  of  peril,  General  Opdycke, 
waiting  for  no  order,  shouted,  "  First  Brigade,  forward  to  the 
works,"  and  himself  led  the  charge.  They  struck  the  enemy 
when  disordered  by  their  very  success,  forced  them  back,  cap 
tured  ten  flags,  and  restored  the  line.  Opdycke,  with  clubbed 
revolver  and  then  with  musket,  drove  the  stragglers  and  skulkers 
to  their  duty.  Others  as  brave  came  to  his  aid.  Till  ten  o'clock 
at  night,  they  held  the  front  against  repeated  assaults.  Under 
cover  of  the  darkness,  this  gallant  rear-guard  fell  back  silently 
and  before  noon  the  following  day  the  entire  Federal  force  was 
safe  within  the  entrenchments  at  Nashville.  In  this  hard-fought 
battle,  the  Union  loss  was  less  than  twenty-five  hundred,  and  the 


D,|&45']  BATTLE    OF    NASHVILLE.  567 

Confederate,  by  Hood's  report,  was  forty-five  hundred,  including 
five  generals  killed,  six  wounded  and  one  captured. 

The  next  day  Hood  approached  Nashville.  He  had  there  to 
confront  an  army  superior  to  his  own,  and  protected  by  numerous 
forts.  An  attack  was  hopeless.  Thomas's  delay  to  drive  off  his 
adversary  under  these  circumstances  excited  great  disappoint 
ment  at  the  North.  Indeed,  Grant  had  ordered  him  to  move, 
and  had  actually  started  to  take  command  of  the  troops  in  person 
when  he  learned  of  his  lieutenant's  success. 

On  the  1 5th,  Thomas  took  the  field.  Feigning  an  attack  on 
the  Confederate  right,  he  delivered  the  real  blow  on  the  left,  driv 
ing  Hood  from  his  works,  and  forcing  him  to  take  up  a  new  line 
of  battle  at  the  base  of  Harpeth  Hills.  The  Union  troops  lay  on 
the  hard-won  ground  during  the  bleak  December  night,  and  the 
next  morning  renewed  the  conflict.  The  Confederate  position 
was  forced  at  a  dozen  points  by  overwhelming  charges.  Over- 
ton's  Hill  was  carried  after  a  desperate  resistance,  and  the  whole 
army  driven  into  headlong  flight.  Wilson's  cavalry,  ten  thousand 
strong,  had  all  the  while  been  working  around  into  Hood's  rear. 
They  now  took  up  the  pursuit  with  untiring  energy,  and  the  in 
fantry  followed  hard  after.  The  weather  was  cold  and  rainy  ;  the 
roads  were  trampled  into  almost  bottomless  mud  ;  the  creeks  were 
swollen  to  torrents ;  the  bridges  were  burned  by  the  Confederates 
as  they  passed,  and  Thomas's  pontoon-train  was  away  with  Sher 
man.  Forrest,  the  famous  Confederate  cavalry  leader,  came  up  to 
Hood's  relief  and  organized  a  powerful  rear-guard.  Yet  no 
obstacle  could  check  the  chase.  The  Confederate  troops — bare 
footed,  wet  to  the  skin,  blinded  by  the  sleet,  and  half-frozen  by 
the  cold — fled  day  and  night.  Save  the  rear,  which  remained 
firm  to  the  last,  the  whole  organization  dissolved  into  a  mere 
rabble. 

The  rock  of  Chickamauga  had  become  the  sledge  of  Nashville. 
For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  war,  an  army  was  destroyed. 
The  contest  at  the  west,  so  far  as  great  movements  were  concerned, 
was  at  an  end.  Thomas  had  now  no  enemy  to  meet,  and  his  troops 
were  scattered  on  various  expeditions. 

Having  seen  one  great  weapon  of  the  Confederacy  annihilated 
in  Tennessee,  we  now  turn  to  consider  the  fate  of  the  other — 
the  army  under  Lee.  We  left  Grant  crossing  the  Rapidan,  May 
4th,  with  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  men.  He  had  turned 
Lee's  right  flank,  and  his  plan  was  by  a  rapid  march  to  get  be- 


568 


FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


[-May  5, 
L  1864. 


tween  him  and  Richmond,  and  then  force  him  to  a  battle.  Lee, 
however,  though  he  had  only  about  fifty  thousand  men,  did  not 
retreat.  Instead,  he  resolved  to  fall  upon  the  Union  army  while 
entangled  in  the  Wilderness,  so  famous  in  the  Chancellorsville 
struggle  a  year  before.  The  morning  of  the  5th  found  Warren 
with  his  corps  moving  out  from  the  old  Wilderness  Hotel,  while 
Hancock  was  pushing  along  the  Brock  road,  the  same  over  which 
Jackson  made  his  secret  flank  march.  Suddenly  the  Union  column 
was  struck  in  flank  by  Swell's  corps  passing  down  the  Orange 
Turnpike  at  right-angles  to  the  Federal  line  of  march.  At  first, 


CROSSING  THE   RAPIDAN — GRANT'S   TELEGRAM. 

Meade  took  it  to  be  a  matter  of  the  skirmishers  only ;  but  the 
heavy  firing  and  the  dense  masses  of  men  hastening  along  the  roads 
told  a  different  story.  Hancock,  then  ten  miles  away,  was  hur 
riedly  recalled,  and  Getty's  division  was  placed  to  hold  the  Brock 
road  open  at  every  cost  till  his  arrival.  By  great  exertions  the 
ground  was  maintained,  and  the  Union  line  was  formed.  It  was 
five  miles  long,  with  Warren  in  the  centre,  Sedgwick  on  the  right, 
and  Hancock  on  the  left. 

Another  battle  was  now  to  be  fought  in  this  "  land  of  jungle, 
thicket,  and  ooze."  There  is  little  need  to  picture  its  details. 
There  was  no  strategy.  The  two  mighty  antagonists  clutched  at 
each  other  blindly,  and  wrestled  in  the  dark.  "  Death  came  un 
seen  ;  regiments  stumbled  on  the  enemy,  and  sent  swift  destruc- 


May  5-6,n 
1864.     . 


BATTLE    OF    THE    WILDERNESS. 


569 


tion  into  his  ranks,  guided  by  the  crackling  of  the  bushes."  The 
officers,  compass  in  hand,  led  the  charge  as  best  they  could.  Both 
sides  cut  down  saplings,  threw  up  slight  breastworks  of  poles 
and  dirt,  and  made  abattis.  Though  they  heard  the  ringing  of 
the  axes,  they  saw  no  one  on  the  opposite  side.  The  line  surged 
to  and  fro,  and  no  eye  could  follow  it ;  only  the  ear  marking  the 
sound  as  it  advanced  or  receded.  Men  fell,  and  their  dying 
groans  were  drowned  in  the  dull  continuous  roar,  while  their 
bodies  were  hidden  in  the  tangled  underbrush. 

The  first  day  of  this  horrid  butchery  decided  nothing.  Grant's 
only  order  for  the  next  morning  was  to  attack  along  the  whole 
line.  The  sun  blazed  like  a  furnace. 
The  gloomy  shades  were  stifling  with 
smoke.  Not  a  breath  of  air  was 
stirring.  The  thicket  caught  fire, 
as  at  Chancellorsville,  and  the  men 
fought  amid  the  crackling  flames. 
General  Wadsworth,  on  the  Union 
side,  was  killed ;  and  on  the  Confeder 
ate,  Longstreet  was  severely  wound 
ed.  Till  late  at  night  there  streamed 
out  of  the  woods  the  horrid  wreck 
of  battle  —  mangled,  bleeding  forms 
borne  on  stretchers.  "  The  Wilder 
ness,"  says  Draper,  "  was  throbbing 
with  the  wounded." 

Grant  had  now  lost  twenty  thou 
sand  and  Lee  ten  thousand  men. 
The  next  day  each  general  quietly 
watched  his  adversary.  At  night, 
Grant  pushed  his  army  by  the  Con 
federate  right  flank  to  Spottsylvania 
Court-House,  Warren  leading  the  ad 
vance.  Lee,  mistrusting  the  movement,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening  hurried  off  Anderson  along  a  parallel  road  toward  the 
same  point.  Stuart  with  his  cavalry  so  delayed  the  Federal  march 
that  when  Warren  arrived  the  next  morning,  he  found  the  Con 
federates  planted  squarely  across  the  road.  As  the  van  thus  came 
in  front  of  the  enemy's  works,  the  rear-guard  was  firing  its  part 
ing  shots  on  the  field  of  the  Wilderness. 

Ere  night,  the  two  armies  were  again  face  to  face.    Two  weeks 


GRANT'S  CAMPAIGN  AROUND  RICHMOND. 


5/O  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [,^ 

of  cautious  watching  followed,  with  the  planting  of  an  occasional 
blow  on  either  side,  as  opportunity  offered.  The  trees  along  the 
front  were  full  of  sharp-shooters,  picking  off  the  officers.  On  the 
9th,  General  Sedgwick  was  out  superintending  the  planting  of  a 
battery  under  a  heavy  fire.  Seeing  some  of  his  men  wincing  as 
the  Minie-balls  hissed  past,  he  bantered  them,  saying,  "  Pooh ! 
they  can't  hit  an  elephant  at  this  distance."  That  very  moment,  this 
excellent  officer  was  himself  struck  full  in  the  face,  and  fell  dead. 

The  next  day,  repeated  assaults  were  made  on  the  Confederate 
works,  ending  with  one  by  twelve  picked  regiments  under  Colonel 
Upton.  By  a  sudden  dash,  they  broke  through  the  line,  and  then 
turned  right  and  left.  Efforts  were  made  to  support  the  attack, 
but  in  vain.  The  Federals  had  gained  no  advantage,  but  had  lost 
ten  thousand  men.  From  the  midst  of  this  slaughter,  Grant 
telegraphed  to  Washington,  "  I  propose  to  fight  it  out  on  this 
line  if  it  takes  all  summer." 

The  1 2th  witnessed  a  yet  more  desperate  enterprise.  Before 
dawn,  Hancock's  corps  was  drawn  up  twelve  hundred  yards  in 
front  of  a  salient  of  Lee's  works.  Shrouded  by  the  fog  of  the 
early  morning,  it  swept  out  of  the  wood,  and,  breaking  into  a 
double-quick,  dashed  through  the  entrenchments,  surrounding 
a  division  and  taking  three  thousand  prisoners,  including  two 
generals.  Officers  were  captured  at  their  breakfast.  The  sur 
prise  was  as  complete  as  that  of  the  Union  army  at  Shiloh,  but  the 
result  showed  the  difference  between  veterans  and  raw  troops. 

At  this  critical  moment,  Lee  formed  a  new  line  in  the  rear. 
"  With  his  eyes  all  ablaze  with  the  fire  of  battle,"  says  his  biog 
rapher  Cooke,  u  he  rode  down  to  a  standard,  and,  taking  off  his 
hat,  pointed  to  the  Federals.  A  storm  of  cheers  rose  as  the  men 
saw  they  were  to  be  led  by  the  gray  cavalier  himself.  Just  then, 
General  Gordon  seized  his  reins,  saying,  '  General  Lee,  this  is  no 
place  for  you.  Go  to  the  rear.  These  are  Virginians  and  Geor 
gians,  sir,  who  have  never  failed.'  Turning  to  his  troops,  and 
rising  in  his  stirrups,  he  called  out,  *  Men,  you  will  not  fail  now? ' 
1  No !  no ! '  was  the  reply,  while  the  cry  ran  down  the  line,  *  Lee 
to  the  rear !  Lee  to  the  rear ! '"  As  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilder 
ness  when  Lee  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  Gregg's  Texans,  the 
column  would  not  charge  until  he  retired  out  of  harm's  way. 

Five  desperate  attempts  were  made  to  recover  the  works. 
The  fighting  was  furious  ;  oftentimes  the  contending  battle-flags, 
were  planted  on  the  same  entrenchments.  So  severe  was  the 


Mai864.12']  BATTLE    OF    SPOTTSYLVANIA.  571 

musketry  fire,  that  the  whole  forest  was  blighted  by  it.  "  One 
tree,  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  was  actually  cut  in  two  by  the 
bullets.  From  dawn  to  dusk,  the  roar  of  the  guns  was  ceaseless  ; 
a  tempest  of  shell  shrieked  through  the  forest  and  plowed  the 
field.  When  night  came,  the  angle  where  the  fire  had  been  hot 
test  had  a  spectacle  for  whoever  cared  to  look  that  would  never 
have  enticed  his  gaze  again.  Men  in  hundreds,  killed  and 
wounded,  were  piled  in  hideous  heaps  —  some  bodies,  that  had 
lain  for  hours  under  the  concentric  fire  of  the  battle,  being  per 
forated  with  wounds.  The  writhing  of  the  wounded  beneath  the 
dead  moved  these  masses  at  times ;  and  occasionally  a  lifted  arm 
or  a  quivering  limb  told  of  an  agony  not  quenched  by  the  Lethe 
of  death  around.  Bitter  fruit  this  ;  a  dear  price  it  seemed  to  pay 
for  the  capture  of  a  salient  angle  of  an  enemy's  entrenchment." 

Each  side  had  lost  about  ten  thousand  men,  and  nothing  was 
really  gained.  Lee's  new  position  was  only  a  few  yards  in  the  rear, 
and  the  foothold  so  desperately  fought  for  was  finally  abandoned. 

While  the  struggle  was  going  on  before  Spottsylvania,  Sheri 
dan,  with  his  cavalry,  passed  in  the  rear  of  the  Confederates  ; 
destroyed  miles  of  railroad  ;  recaptured  four  hundred  Union  pris 
oners  ;  defeated  a  cavalry  force  which  barred  his  progress,  with 
the  loss  of  their  famous  officer,  Stuart ;  entered  the  outer  defences 
of  Richmond  ;  and  then  returned  to  the  Union  army  in  time  to 
take  part  in  the  ensuing  engagement. 

Grant,  finding  that  all  attempts  to  drive  Lee  from  his  post  upon 
the  River  Po  were  useless,  resorted  to  the  favorite  tactics  of  the 
year.  Carefully  withdrawing  his  troops  from  right  to  left,  he  set 
out  for  the  North  Anna.  Lee,  also,  started  in  the  same  direction. 
When  the  Union  advance  troops  reached  the  bank  of  that  river, 
they  found  the  gray-coats  waiting  on  the  opposite  side  to  receive 
them.  Thus  again  Lee  had  handled  his  men  so  admirably  as  to 
checkmate  his  antagonist. 

Grant  once  more  turned  the  Confederate  line  on  its  right  flank, 
crossed  the  Pamunkey  at  Hanovertown,  and  proceeded  to  Cold 
Harbor,  where,  as  usual,  he  found  the  Confederate  army  barring 
his  road  to  the  capital.  At  the  first  streak  of  light  on  the  morning 
of  June  3d,  the  Union  forces  moved  swiftly  out  of  their  entrench 
ments  and  fell  desperately  upon  the  Confederate  works.  In  little 
over  a  half  hour,  they  returned  defeated,  leaving  fully  ten  thou 
sand  of  their  number  "  stretched  writhing  on  the  sod,  or  still  and 
calm  in  death."  Later  in  the  day,  Meade  directed  the  corps-corn- 


5/2  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

manders  to  renew  the  attempt ;  but,  appreciating  the  uselessness 
of  this  butchery,  the  army  quietly  disregarded  the  order. 

The  two  armies  were  now  coming  upon  ground  familiar  to  the 
veterans.  Gaines's  Mill  was  in  the  rear  of  the  Confederate  centre, 
while  the  White  House  was  the  Union  base  of  supplies. 

Before  Grant  started  on  this  Overland  Campaign,  as  it  is 
called,  he  had  arranged  for  two  co-operative  movements,  in  order 
to  distract  the  attention  of  the  Confederate  army  in  Virginia. 
The  first  was  for  a  column  under  General  Sigel  to  advance  up  the 
Shenandoah  and  threaten  the  railroad  to  Richmond.  This  force 
having  been  defeated  at  New  Market,  May  I5th,  Hunter  took 
command  and  pushed  down  as  Tar  as  Lynchburg,  but  finding  the 
Confederates  mustering  before  him,  he  prudently  retired  across 
the  Mountains  into  West  Virginia. 

The  second  was  an  expedition  under  General  Butler.  With 
thirty  thousand  men,  he  was  directed  to  ascend  the  James  and 
attack  Richmond  from  the  south.  He  accordingly  went  up  from 
Fortress  Monroe  and  landed  at  Bermuda  Hundred.  Here  he 
was  surprised  by  Beauregard  and  forced  back  into  his  defences. 
The  Confederates  threw  up  fortifications  across  the  narrow  neck 
connecting  Bermuda  Hundred  with  the  main  land,  and  so  held 
the  army  securely  "  corked  up,"  as  the  phrase  of  the  times  termed 
it.  Thus  both  expeditions,  which  had  promised  much,  failed 
utterly. 

It  had  not  taken  "all  summer"  to  prove  the  impossibility  of 
reaching  Richmond  from  the  north.  That  line  of  advance  must 
now  be  abandoned,  and  a  second  change  of  base  to  the  James 
River  be  effected.  Bitter  experience  had  shown  the  essential 
wisdom  of  McClellan's  original  plan  so  long  discarded.  Grant 
accordingly  decided  to  cross  the  James,  seize  Petersburg,  and  cut 
the  railroads  leading  south  from  Richmond.  Then  began  the  feat 
of  throwing  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  men  over  a  broad 
stream  in  the  presence  of  a  vigilant  enemy.  The  Federal  army, 
with  its  trains  in  a  continuous  line,  would  have  crowded  a  single 
road  for  a  hundred  miles.  Cavalry  feints  veiled  the  movement. 
Pontoons  and  ferry-boats  were  soon  on  the  spot.  Every  road  and 
lane  through  a  wide  expanse  was  filled  by  the  hurrying  troops. 
Divisions  frequently  traveled  twenty  miles  to  gain  a  quarter  of 
that  distance.  For  three  days  and  nights  the  vast  procession 
poured  over  by  bridge  and  boat  before  all  had  passed. 

Meanwhile,  Grant  pushed  on  a  detachment  to  secure  Peters- 


June,"] 
I864.J 


BEFORE    PETERSBURG. 


573 


burg.  General  W.  F.  Smith,  who  commanded  the  advance,  skir 
mished  up  to  the  fortifications  of  that  city,  which  were  held  only 
by  some  local  militia.  He  carried  the  outer  line ;  but  at  this  pre 
cious  moment,  though  the  night  was  clear  and  the  moon  full,  he 
rested  till  morning,  "  after  the  old  but  not  good  fashion  of  '6i-'2," 
says  Greeley.  Daybreak  showed  long  lines  of  Confederate  troops 
filing  into  the  trenches,  and  the  battle-flags  of  the  army  of  Northern 
Virginia  flaunting  defiance.  It  was  too  late  for  a  surprise. 

The  main  body  of  his  army  having  arrived,  Grant  repeatedly 
tried  to  carry  the  works.  Four  days  of  slaughter  cost  nine  thou 
sand  men,  and  secured  only  a  single 
line  of  entrenchments,  while  Lee 
held  stubbornly  an  inner  one,  which 
he  had  carefully  fortified.  Grant 
then  swung  his  attacking  columns 
to  the  left  to  seize  the  Weldon  Rail 
road.  Disaster  followed,  and  he 
was  driven  back  inside  his  former 
position.  In  this  fruitless  attempt 
four  thousand  men  were  killed  or 
wounded.  That  this  event  was  not 
mentioned  in  the  military  report 
and  has  received  no  specific  name, 
shows  the  enormous  proportions 
the  war  had  assumed,  and  how 
changed  it  was  from  the  time  when  Big  Bethel  and  Ball's  Bluff 
were  esteemed  great  battles. 

The  end  of  June  had  come.  The  Southern  army  behind  its 
strong  entrenchments  was  safe  against  any  assault.  Grant  was 
compelled  to  sit  down  and  begin  regular  approaches.  The  cam 
paign  had  at  last  resolved  itself  into  a  siege  of  Richmond  with 
Petersburg  as  its  advanced  post.  The  On-to-Richmond  move 
ment  of  this  year,  like  its  predecessors,  had  proved  a  failure. 
"  Grant  had  sent  the  Confederate  army,"  says  Draper,  "  reeling 
and  dripping  with  blood  from  the  banks  of  the  Rapidan  to  the 
James,  but  at  what  a  fearful  expense !  "  He  had  lost  at  least 
seventy  thousand  men  to  the  Confederate  forty  thousand,  or, 
as  some  say,  twenty -eight  thousand.  The  "  process  of  attri 
tion,"  which,  according  to  Grant's  favorite  theory,  was  to  sub 
due  the  Confederacy  by  destroying  its  soldiers,  seemed  a  slow,  it 
was  certainly  a  costly,  process.  Lee's  army  had  hewn  out  of  the 


GENERAL  ULYSSES  S.    GRANT. 


574  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

Union  ranks  more  than  its  own  number,  and  yet  remained  appar 
ently  as  unconquerable  as  ever.  The  On-to-Atlanta  movement,  at 
this  time,  had  not  been  any  more  successful.  Grant  and  Sherman 
were  both  apparently  balked  of  their  object.  Their  paths  could 
be  traced  through  a  hundred  miles  of  wilderness  by  the  graves 
they  had  filled.  The  depression  at  the  North  was  deep  and  anx 
ious.  In  July  occurred  two  events — a  raid  to  Washington,  and 
the  mine  disaster — which  greatly  augmented  the  gloom. 

The  retreat  of  Hunter  had  left  the  way  to  the  national  capital 
invitingly  open.  Lee  accordingly  detached  a  force  under  Early 
to  advance  upon  that  city.  This  officer  moved  down  the  Shenan- 
doah  under  a  summer's  sun,  at  the  rate  of  twenty  miles  per  day  ; 
crossed  the  Potomac  ;  defeated  a  small  militia  force  under  General 
Lew  Wallace  at  Monocacy  Bridge  ;  and  on  the  evening  of  July 
loth,  came  within  six  miles  of  Washington.  Great  was  the  alarm 
in  the  Federal  city.  The  fire  of  the  Confederate  skirmishers 
could  be  heard  at  the  White  House.  The  forts  were  garrisoned 
only  by  troops  from  the  invalid  corps,  three-months  men,  depart 
ment  clerks,  and  others  who  volunteered  for  the  emergency. 
Early  delayed  a  day.  Meanwhile,  the  Sixth  corps  sent  on  from 
before  Petersburg,  and  the  Nineteenth  corps  just  arrived  from 
the  Gulf,  reached  the  city.  At  the  wharf  they  were  met  by 
Lincoln,  who  was  anxiously  watching  for  them. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  I2th,  a  reconnoissance  was  pushed  out 
from  Fort  Stevens.  As  the  Confederates  saw  the  line  of  battle 
move  forward,  and  caught  sight  of  the  familiar  flags  and  the  easy, 
swinging  gait  of  the  veterans,  they  cried,  "  The  Sixth  corps  has 
come,"  and  knew  that  the  long-coveted  prize  had  escaped  their 
grasp.  That  night,  Early  retreated  into  Virginia,  carrying  with 
him  five  thousand  horses  and  twenty-five  hundred  cattle.  The 
pursuit  was  very  mild.  Subsequently  a  Confederate  raiding  party 
recrossed  the  Potomac  and  burned  Chambersburg,  in  default  of  a 
ransom  of  half  a  million  dollars. 

That  Lee  should  dare  thus  to  divide  his  force  in  front  of 
Grant,  in  order  to  make  this  bold  inroad,  and  that  Early  should 
escape  unscathed,  were  matters  of  deep  humiliation  at  the  North. 
Davis,  with  some  show  of  fact,  declared  that  "  Washington,  not 
Richmond,  was  besieged." 

For  several  weeks,  the  troops  belonging  to  Burnside's  corps 
had  been  busy  digging  a  mine  under  the  Confederate  entrench 
ments  before  Petersburg.  They  began  in  a  secluded  ravine  back 


J"8y64?']  THE    MINE    EXPLOSION.  575 

of  the  Union  lines.  The  work  was  pushed  forward  with  great 
diligence,  though  the  men  had  nothing  but  cracker-boxes  in 
which  to  remove  the  dirt.  The  main  shaft,  five  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  long,  reached  to  a  point  directly  under  the  enemy's 
position,  with  laterals  running  forty  feet  each  way.  A  charge  of 
eight  thousand  pounds  of  powder  was  fired  on  the  morning  of 
July  3Oth.  The  explosion  was  terrific.  A  mass  of  earth,  with 
mingled  flame  and  smoke,  shot  high  into  the  air.  A  gulf  yawned 
in  the  Confederate  works,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  sixty 
feet  wide,  and  thirty  feet  deep.  The  battery  and  two  hundred 
men  stationed  at  this  point  were  overwhelmed  in  the  ruin. 
Instantly  every  gun  along  the  Union  entrenchments  opened  fire. 
Then  was  the  time  for  a  sudden,  overwhelming  charge  upon  the 
shattered  line.  But  a  delay  occurred  before  the  assaulting  col 
umn  advanced.  It  only  reached  the  chasm,  and  then  halted. 
The  Confederates,  recovering  from  their  confusion,  planted  bat 
teries  and  brought  every  musket  to  bear  upon  the  point  of  danger. 
Union  reinforcements  came  up,  but  they,  too,  huddled  into  the 
crater.  All  organization  was  lost ;  company  mingled  with  com 
pany,  man  on  top  of  man.  Into  this  struggling  mass,  the  merciless 
shot  and  ball  were  poured,  until  the  sight  became  so  sickening 
that,  it  is  said,  General  Mahone  ordered  the  firing  to  stop.  For 
eight  hours  death  had  held  high  carnival.  The  Federal  loss  in 
this  "  miserable  affair,"  as  Grant  well  termed  it,  was  four  thousand. 

The  Federal  government  had  already  this  year  called  out  four 
hundred  thousand  additional  troops.  In  the  midst  of  this  gloom, 
five  hundred  thousand,  and  still  later,  three  hundred  thousand 
more,  were  demanded.  The  national  debt  had  reached  two 
billion  dollars.  Gold  had  risen  to  190^  premium.  There  was  a 
possibility  of  giving  up  the  effort  to  subdue  the  South.  Indeed,  a 
large  party  was  in  favor  of  abandoning  hostilities  at  once.  Still, 
however,  the  mass  of  the  people  held  firm.  Lincoln,  who  had 
been  renominated  by  the  Republicans  for  the  presidency,  was 
re-elected  by  a  large  majority  ;  though  General  McClellan,  the 
Democratic  candidate,  advocated  a  vigorous  prosecution  of  the 
war,  and  differed  with  the  administration  only  in  its  policy. 

The  repeated  incursions  into  Maryland  from  the  Shenandoah 
valley,  and  the  demoralized  condition  of  the  Union  troops  in  that 
department,  induced  Grant  to  send  Sheridan  thither.  Having 
thoroughly  organized  his  army,  that  dashing  officer  took  the  field 
with  greatly  superior  forces.  He  had  received,  says  Grant,  only 


FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


rSept.— Oct., 
L      1864. 


two  words  of  instruction,  "  Go  in !  "  September  iQth,  he  routed 
Early  at  Winchester,  and,  two  days  after,  drove  him  from  his  en 
trenchments  at  Fisher's  Hill,  and  sent  him  "  whirling  up  the  valley." 

Sheridan,  returning,  laid  this  lovely  region  waste,  burning, 
according  to  his  report,  two  thousand  barns  filled  with  wheat  and 
hay ;  seventy  mills,  stored  with  flour  and  grain ;  and  driving  off 
or  killing  seven  thousand  cattle  and  sheep,  besides  a  number  of 
horses.  The  axe  and  the  torch  finished  what  the  sword  had  left. 

Having  posted  his  army  at  Cedar  Creek,  Sheridan  went  to 
Washington.  During  his  absence,  Early  rallied  his  shattered 
troops  and  being  reinforced  from  Lee,  surprised  the  national 


SHERIDANS  ARRIVAL  AT  CEDAR  CREEK. 


forces  in  the  fog  and  mist  of  early  morning,  October  iQth,  carried 
their  camps,  and  pursued  the  fugitives  four  miles.  General 
Wright,  with  a  portion  of  the  national  army  which  remained 
intact,  here  rallied  the  men  and  checked  the  retreat.  Sheridan 
was  already  returning,  and  at  Winchester,  thirteen  miles  away, 
heard 

"  The  terrible  grumble  and  rumble  and  roar, 
Telling  the  battle  was  on  once  more." 

Putting  spurs  to  his  steed,  he  galloped  to  the  front  without 
drawing  rein.  Meanwhile,  the  Confederates  had  become  scattered 
in  plundering  the  captured  camps.  Sheridan,  seeing  the  oppor 
tunity  of  retrieving  the  disgrace,  turned  upon  the  enemy,  recap 
tured  all  that  had  been  lost,  and  struck  such  a  telling  blow  that 
Early  escaped  with  only  the  wreck  of  his  army. 


Febi864ar°h>  WAR    IN    THE    MISSISSIPPI    VALLEY.  577 

This  brilliant  campaign  had  lasted  only  a  month,  but  it  ended 
the  war  in  the  Shenandoah.  It  had  cost  the  Union  forces  nearly 
seventeen  thousand,  and  the  Confederates,  according  to  their  own 
accounts,  eight  thousand  men  and  sixty  pieces  of  artillery.  "At 
the  time,"  says  Pollard,  "  wags  in  Richmond  were  accustomed  to 
label  cannon  designed  for  the  valley,  *  General  Sheridan,  care  of 
Jubal  Early.' ' 

During  this  year,  the  war  in  the  Mississippi  valley  had  lan 
guished,  as  the  necessities  of  the  contest  in  Georgia  and  Virginia 
had  drawn  off  nearly  all  the  available  troops.  Sherman,  before  he 
was  called  to  Grant's  aid  at  Chattanooga,  made  a  destructive 
foray  to  Meridian,  the  intersection  of  the  Southern  Mississippi 
and  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  railroad.  General  W.  S.  Smith  was  to 
join  him  with  seven  thousand  cavalry  from  Memphis,  and  move 
on  to  Selma.  But  Smith  fell  in  with  Forrest's  troopers,  who 
drove  him  back.  Sherman,  however,  destroyed  "  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  of  railroad,  sixty-seven  bridges,  seven  hundred 
trestles,  twenty  locomotives,  twenty-eight  cars,  several  thousand 
bales  of  cotton,  several  steam-mills,  and  over  two  million  bushels 
of  corn." 

Thousands  of  fugitive  slaves  accompanied  the  column  on  its 
return,  as  they  did  afterward  in  the  March  to  the  Sea.  They 
came,  says  an  eye-witness,  "some  on  foot,  some  on  horseback, 
some  in  ox-carts.  Some  were  clad  in  their  '  Sunday-best/  the 
cast-off  clothes  of  their  masters.  Of  the  women,  some  had  ban 
dana  handkerchiefs  twisted  in  turban-fashion  round  their  heads, 
or  were  decorated  with  scraps  of  ribbon  and  fantastic  finery  of 
every  conceivable  hue.  I  saw  one  carrying  a  little  child  in  her 
arms ;  she  had  another  on  her  back,  and  still  another  was  holding 
by  her  skirts.  The  father  strode  in  front ;  a  pile  of  bundles  was 
sustained  by  a  stick  on  his  shoulder,  and  all  sorts  of  kitchen  uten 
sils  and  household  trumpery  were  hanging  upon  his  body.  So 
vast  was  the  crowd,  that  families  were  separated,  and  women  and 
children  lost  in  the  throng." 

Early  in  March,  after  the  brief  Meridian  campaign,  a  joint  land 
and  naval  expedition  was  organized  under  General  Banks,  then  in 
command  at  New  Orleans,  to  ascend  the  Red  River  in  order  to 
capture  Shreveport,  the  seat  of  the  Confederate  government  of 
Louisiana.  The  advance  carried  Fort  de  Russy  by  assault,  March 
I4th,  and  two  days  after  entered  Alexandria.  At  Natchitoches 
the  road  diverged  from  the  river,  and  the  army  was  compelled  to 
37 


5/8  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [^ise™^' 

lose  the  protection  of  the  gun-boats.  No  enemy,  however,  was 
seen  until  the  advance  was  passing  through  a  dense  pine-forest 
near  Mansfield,  when  it  was  suddenly  attacked  by  the  Confeder 
ates  under  General  Kirby  Smith.  The  Union  troops,  scattered 
along  the  road  for  a  distance  of  thirty  miles,  and  encumbered  with 
baggage-trains,  were  unable  to  make  any  effective  resistance.  A 
sudden  panic  seized  the  men,  and  they  fled  wildly,  leaving  wagons 
and  guns  to  the  enemy.  At  Pleasant  Hill,  the  fugitives  were 
rallied  on  the  main  body.  Here  the  pursuit  was  stopped  the 
next  day  by  the  veterans  of  Emory's  and  A.  J.  Smith's  divisions. 
Banks,  however,  decided  to  abandon  the  expedition.  He  accord 
ingly  fell  back  to  the  river,  leaving  the  dead  unburied  and  aban 
doning  the  wounded.  The  retreat  of  the  gun-boats  was  a  difficult 
task.  The  water  was  falling,  and  the  Confederates  swarmed  in 
the  woods  along  the  banks  and  planted  batteries  at  every  favor 
able  point.  At  Alexandria,  it  was  feared  that  it  would  be  neces 
sary  to  blow  up  the  vessels  to  prevent  their  falling  into  the 
enemy's  hands.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Bailey,  formerly  a  Wisconsin 
lumberman,  came  to  the  rescue.  He  constructed  a  series  of 
wing-dams,  and  thus  raised  the  water  so  that  the  boats  were 
safely  floated  over  the  rapids. 

This  skillful  expedient  was  almost  the  only  relieving  feature 
of  a  campaign  which  cost  the  Union  army  three  thousand  men 
and  twenty  pieces  of  artillery.  There  were  rumors  that  the  ex 
pedition  was  undertaken  simply  as  a  gigantic  cotton  speculation. 
As  the  army  advanced,  Avagons  were  scouring  the  country,  gins 
were  being  erected,  and  the  marines  were  busily  gathering  this 
staple.  Transports  came  off  loaded  with  cotton  bales,  while  the 
Union  people  of  Alexandria,  who  begged  to  be  taken  away,  were 
abandoned. 

General  Fred.  Steele,  who  was  stationed  at  Little  Rock,  had 
advanced  toward  Shreveport  to  co-operate  with  Banks  ;  but  learn 
ing  of  that  general's  retreat,  he  fell  back  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
He  was  greatly  harassed  by  the  accumulating  forces  of  the  enemy, 
but  managed  to  reach  Little  Rock  again.  This  disaster  restored 
to  the  Confederacy  a  large  part  of  the  State. 

After  defeating  Smith's  cavalry  at  Okalona,  Forrest  captured 
Jackson,  Tennessee,  and  then  advanced  rapidly  upon  Paducah, 
Kentucky.  Here  the  garrison  of  Fort  Anderson,  aided  by  the 
gun-boats,  defended  itself  stoutly  and  drove  him  off.  Moving 
south,  he  next  fell  upon  Fort  Pillow,  April  I2th.  His  troops  crept 


Aug.  5,1 
1864.  J 


FARRAGUT    AT    MOBILE. 


5/9 


along  under  shelter  of  a  ravine  until  very  near,  and  then  charged 
upon  the  entrenchments.  Rushing  into  the  fort,  they  raised  the 
cry,  "No  quarter!"  "  The  Confederate  officers,"  says  Pollard, 
"  lost  control  of  their  men,  who  were  maddened  by  the  sight  of 
negro  troops  opposing  them."  An  indiscriminate  slaughter  fol 
lowed.  Neither  age  nor  color  was  spared. 

The  war  along  the  coast  this  year  comprised  several  important 
events.     August  5th,  Admiral  Farragut  ran  past  the  forts  at  the 


NAVAL   BATTLE   IN   MOBILE   BAY. 


entrance  of  Mobile  Bay.  The 
I  admiral  was  stationed  in  the  rig- 
!  ging  of  the  flag-ship  Hartford, 
I  whence  he  could  watch  the  move 
ments  of  his  fleet.  The  lead 
ing  monitor,  Tecumseh,  struck  a 
torpedo  and  sunk,  carrying  down  nearly  all  her  crew.  As  the 
vessels  swept  past  the  forts,  they  fired  such  broadsides  of  grape 
and  canister  as  drove  the  cannoneers  from  their  guns.  Then  came 
a  desperate  fight  with  the  Confederate  ram  Tennessee  and  three 
supporting  gun-boats.  Detaching  several  vessels  to  engage  the 
latter,  Farragut  signalled  the  others  to  attack  the  ram,  not  only 
with  their  guns  but  by  dashing  upon  it  at  full-speed.  In  antici 
pation  of  this,  the  wooden  ships  had  been  provided  with  false  bows 


580  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [N°i864.eC' 

of  iron.  The  odds  were  overpowering.  True,  not  a  shot  pene 
trated  the  thick  armor  of  the  Tennessee,  but  the  shutters  of  one 
of  her  port-holes  was  destroyed,  and  thus  a  vulnerable  point  was 
presented.  Such  was  the  accuracy  of  the  firing,  that  it  is  said  ten 
shots  struck  close  to  this  port ;  while  a  fragment  of  a  shell  entered 
through  it  and  wounded  Admiral  Buchanan,  who  commanded  the 
Merrimac  in  Hampton  Roads,  and  was  also  injured  in  that  en 
gagement.  The  ram  was  soon  sore  beset  on  every  side  by  blows 
of  beak  and  ball.  After  sustaining  the  battle  for  over  an  hour 
single-handed  against  half  the  Union  fleet,  it  surrendered. 

The  forts  capitulated  soon  after,  and  thus  the  port  of  Mobile 
was  closed.  The  city  itself  was  not  taken  until  the  surrender  of 
Lee  and  his  army  had  already  decided  the  war. 

Late  in  the  fall,  a  naval  expedition  under  the  command  of  Ad 
miral  Porter,  and  a  fleet  of  transports  carrying  about  six  thou 
sand  five  hundred  troops  under  Generals  Butler  and  Weitzel, 
attempted  the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher  and  the  other  defences 
guarding  the  entrance  to  Wilmington,  a  famous  rendezvous  for 
blockade-runners.  Grant  intended  that  General  Weitzel  should 
command  the  troops.  Mrs.  Willard  naively  remarks  upon  this: 
"  General  Butler,  through  whom,  as  the  superior  officer,  the  in 
structions  were  sent,  put  them  in  his  pocket,  and  went  himself. 
Grant  did  not  dream  that  Butler  would  take  the  direction,  and 
thought  that  he  went  merely  to  see  the  explosion  of  a  boat  laden 
with  powder,  which  he  had  prepared  at  great  expense  and  delay, 
as  if  fancying  that  the  mud  walls  of  Fort  Fisher  would  fall  at  the 
noise,  as  the  walls  of  Jericho  did  at  the  sound  of  Joshua's  trum 
pets.  On  the  morning  of  November  24th,  the  powder-boat  was 
exploded,  but  with  so  little  effect  that  the  Confederates  did  not 
know  the  object  of  it  until  they  were  informed  by  the  Northern 
newspapers."  It  is  said  that  the  Southern  commander,  Colonel 
Lamb,  supposed  the  noise  was  caused  by  the  bursting  of  a  heavy 
gun  on  the  fleet. 

After  a  brief  bombardment  and  a  reconnoissance,  Butler  and 
Weitzel,  deeming  the  fort  too  strong  for  an  assault,  re-embarked 
their  troops  and  returned  to  Fortress  Monroe.  The  war-vessels, 
however,  remained,  and  Porter  was  anxious  for  a  new  attempt. 
Grant,  therefore,  sent  back  the  same  soldiers  with  a  small  rein 
forcement,  but  this  time  under  General  A.  H.  Terry.  By  a 
tremendous  fire  from  the  ships  he  compelled  the  garrison  to 
keep  under  the  shelter  of  the  bomb-proofs.  Meanwhile  a  body 


J?865?']  SECOND    ATTACK    ON    FORT    FISHER.  581 

of  sailors  and  marines,  by  digging  ditches  and  rifle-pits,  cautiously 
worked  its  way  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  fort.  On  the 
land-side,  the  troops  also  advanced  under  shelter  and  lay  ready 
for  the  assault.  At  three  P.  M.,  January  i4th,  the  steam-whistles 
gave  the  signal.  Both  columns  dashed  forward.  The  fleet  had 
to  stop  its  guns,  as  their  fire  would  be  liable  to  injure  the  attack 
ing  parties.  The  Confederates  instantly  swarmed  out  upon  the 
walls.  The  Federal  ranks  were  swept  by  grape  and  canister  and 
volleys  of  musketry.  The  sailors  were  repulsed.  But  the  other 
column  broke  through  the  palisade  and  effected  a  lodgment  on 
the  parapet.  Reinforcements  came  up  ;  nine  successive  traverses 
were  carried ;  the  sailors  joined  in  the  metie,  and  near  midnight 
the  garrison  was  driven  from  every  defence  to  the  water's  edge 
and  forced  to  surrender.  In  reading  the  account  of  this  assault, 
one  knows  not  which  to  admire  the  more,  the  heroism  of  the 
defence  or  the  gallantry  of  the  attack.  "  In  foreign  countries," 
remarks  Draper,  "  it  was  often  said  that  the  reunion  of  the  States 
after  the  close  of  the  war  was  a  political  impossibility.  In  Amer 
ica  there  was  a  very  different  opinion.  Conquered  and  conquer 
ors  looked  upon  each  other  with  pride." 

The  neighboring  works  were  now  abandoned  by  the  Con 
federates,  and  this  port  of  entry  was  sealed.  After  the  victory  at 
Nashville,  General  Scofield  came  with  a  corps  from  the  Army  of 
the  Tennessee,  and  occupied  Wilmington  on  the  anniversary  of 
Washington's  birthday. 

The  Confederate  privateers  having  been  captured  or  driven 
from  the  ocean,  the  Richmond  authorities  made  arrangements  in 
Great  Britain,  at  the  ship-yards  of  Liverpool  and  Glasgow,  for 
building  their  war-steamers.  The  Tallahassee,  the  Chickamauga, 
and  the  Shenandoah  were  accordingly  fitted  out  in  British  ports. 
They  sailed  under  the  British  flag.  They  were  manned  by  British 
sailors,  and  welcomed  in  British  ports.  The  commerce  of  the 
United  States  was  nearly  annihilated  by  them.  In  1863  alone,  one 
thousand  American  ships  were  sold  to  foreign  merchants. 

The  most  noted  of  the  Anglo-Confederate  cruisers  was  the 
Alabama,  Captain  Semmes.  This  ship  was  built  by  Laird,  a  mem 
ber  of  the  British  Parliament.  She  is  said  to  have  destroyed  sixty- 
five  American  vessels  and  their  cargoes,  valued  at  ten  million 
dollars.  In  June,  1864,  she  went  to  Cherbourg,  France.  Captain 
Winslow,  of  the  United  States  gun-boat  Kearsarge,  learning  of 
her  arrival,  immediately  sailed  thither.  Semmes,  anxious  for  the 


THE   ALABAMA. 


582  FOURTH    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  ^isf*9' 

duel,  came  out  into  the  open  sea,  Sunday,  June  iQth.  He  left 
with  his  friends  on  shore  a  chest  of  coin  and  sixty-two  chro 
nometers,  the  relics  of  his  buccaneering  exploits.  In  a  speech  to 
his  men  before  the  engagement,  he  repeated  the  words  of  Nelson, 
"  England  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty !  "  The  Kearsarge 

immediately  steamed  to  with 
in  nine  hundred  yards  of  her 
antagonist,  when  she  began  to 
circle  about  her,  firing  slowly 
and  deliberately.  At  the  sev 
enth  round,  the  Alabama  ran 
up  the  white  flag,  and  soon 
sank.  Capt.  Winslow  picked 
up  a  part  of  her  crew,  and 
the  rest  were  rescued  by  the 
boats  of  the  Deerhound,  a  British  yacht  which  accompanied  the 
Alabama.  No  one  was  killed  on  the  Kearsarge.  One  sailor,  how 
ever,  William  Gowin,  was  mortally  wounded,  but  he  refused  to  go 
below,  and  sat  on  deck  through  the  fight  waving  his  hat  and  en 
couraging  his  comrades.  After  the  battle  was  over  he  was  taken 
to  the  hospital,  exclaiming,  "  I  am  willing  to  die  for  my  country 
since  our  ship  got  the  victory  !  " 

The  whole  South  was  now  a  vast  beleaguered  camp.  The 
lines  of  circumvallation  had  been  drawn  so  closely  as  nearly  to 
cut  off  supplies.  It  was  impossible  to  secure  sufficient  medicines 
for  the  sick  or  clothing  for  the  well.  The  price  of  foreign  goods 
in  Confederate  money  had  become  fabulous.  Coffee  was  sold  at 
fifty  dollars  per  pound  ;  calico  at  thirty  dollars  per  yard ;  and  kid 
gloves  at  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  to  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars  per  pair.  The  enormous  profits  of  a  success 
ful  venture  led  many  European  merchants  to  attempt  to  run  the 
blockade  of  the  Confederate  ports.  Swift  steamers,  sitting  low  in 
the  water  and  painted  of  a  neutral  color,  were  constantly  hover 
ing  along  the  Southern  coast  watching  for  a  chance  to  dart  past 
the  Federal  cruisers  into  port  and  land  their  cargoes.  The  activ 
ity  of  the  Union  navy  may  be  estimated  from  the  fact  that  during 
the  war  it  captured  or  destroyed  over  fifteen  hundred  ships,  worth, 
with  their  cargoes,  about  fifty  million  dollars.  The  stringency 
of  the  blockade  thus  largely  prevented  not  only  the  ingress  of 
foreign  supplies,  but  also  the  egress  of  cotton,  by  the  sale  of 
which  the  Southern  government  could  alone  procure  funds  for 
the  prosecution  of  the  war. 


1864.] 


CONFEDERATE    FINANCES    AND     COMMISSARIAT 


583 


The  Confederate  currency  had  depreciated  until  fifty  dollars 
would  bring  but  one  in  specie,  and  finally  its  own  officials  publicly 
exchanged  it  in  Richmond  for  gold  at  a  premium  of  5900  %.  The 
cost  of  all  articles  of  trade  took  on  prices  corresponding  with  this 
shrinkage,  unprecedented  since  Revolutionary  times.  Many  of 
the  soldiers  of  the  Confederate  army  had  not  been  paid  for  two 
years,  and  when  their  pittance  was  received,  it  required  three 
dollars  to  buy  a  loaf  of  bread,  while  a  month's  wages  would 
scarcely  procure  a  pair  of  stockings  or  a  substantial  dinner.  The 
transportation  of  food  to  the  army  at  Richmond  over  the  worn- 
out  railroads  became  difficult,  and  the  rations  of  the  soldiers  were 
often  only  "  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  rancid  bacon  and  a  little 
coarse  corn-meal."  Shoeless,  ragged,  and  weak  with  hunger,  it  is 
not  strange  that  desertions  materially  diminished  the  strength  of 
the  "  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,"  especially  when  the  homes  of 
the  soldiers  were  so  constantly  threatened  alike  by  want  and  the 
incursions  of  the  Federals. 


GENERAL    SHERIDAN. 


CHAPTER     XVII. 


LAST    YEAfc    OF    THE    CIVIL 


HE  plan  of  the  final  campaign  was 
simple.  All  depended  on  the  issue 
of  the  struggle  before  Richmond. 
Upon  this  focus  the  Union  forces 
were  converged  from  every  side. 
February  2/th,  Sheridan,  with  ten 
thousand  cavalry,  swept  down 
from  the  Shenandoah,  cut  the 
railroad  communications  north  of 
Richmond,  and  in  a  month  from 
the  time  of  starting  took  his  place 
in  the  Union  lines  before  Peters 
burg.  Wilson,  with  thirteen  thou 
sand  horsemen,  raided  from  Eastport  on  the  Tennessee  through 
Alabama,  capturing  "  Selma,  Columbus  and  Macon,  with  six  thou 
sand  eight  hundred  and  twenty  prisoners,  two  hundred  and 
eighty  pieces  of  artillery,  twenty-two  stands  of  colors  ;  destroying 
two  gun-boats,  ninety-nine  thousand  small  arms,  besides  two  hun 
dred  and  thirty-five  thousand  bales  of  cotton,  and  all  the  mills, 
collieries,  iron  works,  factories,  arsenals,  railroad  bridges  and 
rolling  stock  in  the  line  of  march."  Stoneman,  with  five  thousand 
cavalry  from  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  poured  through  the  passes  of 
the  Alleghanies,  captured  Salisbury,  North  Carolina,  ransacked  its 
depots  of  supplies,  and  destroyed  all  the  railroad  bridges  within 
reach. 

Early  in  February,  Sherman,  having  rested  and  refitted  his 
army,  set  out  on  his  march  northward  to  join  Grant.  Heavy 
rains  impeded  his  progress.  His  route  lay  through  morasses,  and 
rice-fields  flooded  with  water.  The  rivers  overran  their  banks 
and  the  swamps  became  lakes.  The  bridges  had  been  burned  and 
the  roads  barred  with  felled  trees  by  the  Confederate  cavalry. 


Tees'.]        SHERMAN'S  MARCH  THROUGH  THE  CAROLINAS.          585 

But  the  Federal  troops,  who  had  fought  their  way  across  the 
Alleghanies  and  made  the  March  to  the  Sea,  were  not  to  be 
stopped  by  any  ordinary  obstacle.  They  built  bridges,  made 
corduroy  roads,  waded  swamps,  and,  at  the  Salkehatchie,  fought 
with  the  water  up  to  their  armpits. 

In  Georgia,  few  dwelling-houses  had  been  burned,  but  in 
South  Carolina,  destruction  and  pillage  became  the  rule ;  officers 
and  men  uniting  to  bring  home  to  the  State  which  had  inau 
gurated  the  war,  its  bitterest  curse.  Columns  of  smoke  marked 
the  progress  of  the  troops.  The  heavens  were  black  even  at  mid 
day.  "  Bummers,"  with  a  keen  scent  for  valuables,  scoured  the 
country  far  in  advance  of  the  army. 

Columbia,  the  capital  of  the  State,  was  taken,  February  i/th. 
That  night  saw  the  city  in  flames  and  nearly  reduced  to  ashes. 
During  the  march  thither,  in  order  to  prevent  a  concentration 
of  the  Confederate  forces,  strong  demonstrations  had  been  made 
toward  Augusta  and  Charleston.  Hardee,  at  the  latter  place, 
finding  that  Sherman  had  reached  Branchville,  evacuated  the 
city,  February  i8th;  on  leaving,  he  set  fire  to  the  buildings  in 
which  cotton  was  stored.  A  quantity  of  powder  having  been  left 
at  the  Northwestern  railroad  station,  the  boys  amused  themselves 
by  throwing  handfuls  of  it  upon  the  flames.  The  powder  which 
they  spilt  soon  formed  a  train,  along  which  the  fire  leaped  to  the 
depot.  A  tremendous  explosion  followed,  killing  two  hundred 
persons.  The  fire  spread  rapidly,  and,  in  spite  of  the  efforts  of 
the  Union  troops  who  quickly  came  to  the  rescue  from  Morris's 
Island,  four  entire  squares  were  consumed. 

The  siege  of  Charleston  had  lasted  five  hundred  and  forty -two 
days.  This  stronghold  had  fallen  at  last,  not  before  the  prowess 
of  its  besiegers,  but  by  the  strategy  of  a  general  who  never 
paused  in  his  victorious  march  to  seize  his  prize.  The  scars  of 
war  were  manifest  through  a  large  part  of  the  city.  An  eye 
witness  says :  "  No  pen,  no  pencil,  no  tongue  can  do  justice  to  the 
scene  ;  no  imagination  can  conceive  the  utter  wreck,  the  universal 
ruin,  the  stupendous  desolation.  Ruin,  ruin,  ruin,  above  and 
below,  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left — ruin,  ruin,  ruin,  every 
where  and  always,  staring  at  us  from  every  paneless  window, 
looking  out  at  us  from  every  shell-torn  wall,  glaring  at  us  from 
every  battered  door,  pillar  and  veranda,  crouching  beneath  our 
feet  on  every  sidewalk.  Not  Pompeii,  nor  Herculaneum,  nor  Tad- 
mor,  nor  the  Nile,  has  ruins  so  saddening,  so  plaintively  eloquent." 


586  LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


flVlarch, 
I  1865. 


The  Confederate  government  now  recalled  Johnston  to  unite 
the  garrisons  of  Charleston,  Wilmington  and  Columbia,  in  order 
to  make  head  against  the  triumphant  progress  of  Sherman's  army, 
which  had  already  reached  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina.  These 
old  antagonists  met  again.  But  Johnston  could  do  little  with  the 
means  at  hand.  So  low  had  the  military  spirit  of  the  Confederacy 
sunk,  that  Hardee's  army,  in  marching  from  Charleston  to  Averys- 
boro,  had  been  reduced,  mainly  by  desertion,  from  eighteen  thou 
sand  to  six  thousand  men.  Sharp  engagements  with  the  heads  of 
the  advancing  columns  took  place  at  Averysboro,  March 


SHERMAN  AT  THE   HEAD   OF  HIS  TROOPS. 


and  three  days  later  at  Bentonville.  While  Johnston  was  guard 
ing  the  route  to  Raleigh,  Sherman  pushed  forward  to  Goldsboro, 
in  order  to  join  General  Schofield,  who  had  made  his  way  thither 
from  Wilmington,  and  General  Terry,  who  had  come  up  from 
Newbern.  Their  three  armies  having  united,  one  hundred  thou 
sand  men  upheld  the  Flag  of  the  Union  along  the  banks  of  the 
Neuse.  Sherman  then  went  to  City  Point  to  arrange  with  Grant 
the  plan  of  the  final  campaign  against  Richmond. 

Lee's  position  was  fast  becoming  desperate.  Though  there 
were  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  men  on  his  muster-rolls,  he 
had  but  forty  thousand  present  for  duty.  His  only  hope  lay  in 
breaking  through  his  environment  and  joining  Johnston's  forces. 
Accordingly,  March  25th,  he  hurled  a  strong  column  upon  Fort 


March,-) 
1865.  J 


THE    LAST    CAMPAIGN. 


587 


Steadman  at  the  right  of  the  Union  line,  hoping-  that  Grant  would 
weaken  his  left  to  meet  this  attack,  and  thus  give  the  Confederate 
army  a  chance  of  escape.  This  forlorn  hope  eventuated  in  a  repe 
tition  of  the  mine  disaster  ;  the  Southern  troops  being  this  time 
the  victims.  The  fort  was  carried ;  but  reinforcements  did  not 
arrive.  The  batteries  on  the  right  and  left  commanding  the  posi 
tion  opened  fire.  The  assaulting  division  could  not  advance,  and 
dared  not  retreat.  Two  thousand  men  laid  down  their  arms. 
Meade  followed  up  this  success  by  a  brilliant  dash  and  carried 
the  Confederate  picket  lines,  taking  many  prisoners. 

Grant  had  not  stirred  his  left.  The  heavy  "  hammer"  which 
he  had  lifted  so  often  was  now  about  to  fall  for  the  last  time.  The 
plan  was  the  old  one  of  "moving 
by  the  left."  Two  corps  of  infantry 
had  been  withdrawn  from  the  right 
without  attracting  the  attention  of 
Longstreet,  who  was  in  their  front. 
With  these  and  nine  thousand  troop 
ers  Sheridan  moved  out,  March  29th, 
to  pass  the  Confederate  right  and 
destroy  the  Southside  Railroad. 
Lee  perceived  the  design.  In  or 
der  to  meet  Grant  as  he  gradually 
stretched  his  lines  westward,  Lee 
had  already  extended  his  fortifica 
tions  till  they  were  nearly  forty  miles 
in  length.  It  was  a  desperate  alter 
native,  but,  by  stripping  his  entrenchments  until  at  many  points 
there  was  left  only  a  strong  skirmish  line,  he  was  able  to  mass 
seventeen  thousand  men  on  his  right  wing. 

Sheridan's  intention  was  to  keep  his  infantry  snug  to  the 
Confederate  right,  while  with  the  horsemen  he  should  sweep  far 
around  to  grasp  the  railroad.  By  night-fall  he  had  occupied  Din- 
widdie  Court-House.  Encouraged  by  this  success,  Grant  wrote 
him,  "  I  feel  now  like  ending  this  matter.  Push  around  the  enemy 
and  get  in  his  rear."  Sheridan  at  once  abandoned  his  design  of 
cutting  loose  for  a  cavalry  raid.  The  next  day  the  rain  prevented 
any  further  movement.  March  3ist,  ere  he  could  attack  the  Con 
federate  lines,  Lee,  with  the  old  Peninsular  impetuosity,  himself 
took  the  initiative.  The  storm  burst  with  fearful  force.  It  fell 
first  on  Warren  at  White  Oak  Ridge,  but  he  succeeded  in  beat- 


GENERAL  JOSEPH   E.    JOHNSTON. 


588  LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [Ap|865.2' 

ing  it  back.  Then  it  struck  Sheridan,  whose  advance  had  already 
seized  upon  Five  Forks — a  strategic  point  of  great  value.  The 
Federals  were  overpowered.  Dismounting  his  troopers,  Sheridan 
deployed  them  in  the  woods,  leaving  only  enough  men  to  take 
care  of  the  horses.  His  line  then  fell  back,  stubbornly  resisting. 
During  its  slow  retreat,  Sheridan  got  his  troops  in  hand,  and, 
throwing  them  behind  the  entrenchments  at  Dinwiddie,  stopped 
the  Confederates. 

April  ist,  Sheridan  again  moved  upon  Five  Forks.  The 
cavalry,  pushed  up  in  front  of  the  Confederate  works,  formed  a 
screen,  behind  which  Warren  with  the  Fifth  Corps,  twelve  thou 
sand  strong,  got  into  the  enemy's  rear.  Attacking  front,  flank, 
and  rear  at  once,  the  Federals  swept  all  before  them,  captured  the 
entrenchments,  and  pursued  the  Confederates  six  miles  down  the 
White  Oak  road,  taking  five  thousand  prisoners. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  the  end.  That  night  every  cannon  in 
the  Union  batteries  before  Petersburg  was  in  full  play.  At  dawn, 
the  entire  Union  line  from  the  Appomattox  to  Hatcher's  Run 
leaped  from  behind  its  entrenchments,  and  poured  in  an  over 
whelming  flood  upon  the  Confederate  works.  All  opposition  was 
crushed  by  the  irresistible  force  of  the  onset.  The  outer  line  was 
taken  in  the  first  fierce  rush.  Fort  Alexander,  in  the  rear,  fell 
next.  Fort  Gregg,  however,  made  a  stout  defence.  Three  times 
the  assailants  were  repulsed  ;  on  the  fourth  charge  they  swept  over 
the  crest.  Of  the  gallant  little  garrison  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  only  thirty  survived. 

General  A.  P.  Hill  was  at  the  headquarters  of  General  Lee 
discussing  the  prospects  of  the  day.  Suddenly,  Lee,  listening, 
said,  "  General,  your  men  are  giving  way."  Hill  quickly  mounted 
his  horse  and  dashed  down  the  road.  As  he  Avas  spurring  on,  he 
caught  a  glimpse  of  several  Federals  with  rifles  leveled  upon  him. 
"  Throw  down  your  arms  !  "  he  commanded.  For  an  instant  the 
men  hesitated,  but  the  next  moment  the  clang  of  their  pieces  was 
heard,  and  General  Hill  fell  dead. 

In  this  crisis  of  his  fortunes,  says  his  biographer  Cooke,  Lee 
was  clad  in  a  new  uniform,  and  had  put  on  his  dress-sword,  which 
he  seldom  wore,  declaring  that  if  he  must  surrender  it  should  be  in 
full  harness.  From  the  lawn  in  front  he  saw  the  Federal  infantry 
moving  forward  at  the  double-quick,  their  bayonets  flashing  in 
the  April  sun  ;  the  Union  batteries  were  seizing  the  neighboring 
knolls,  whence  they  quickly  opened  on  his  fleeing  troops ;  while 


April  2,  3,1 
1865. 


FALL    OF    RICHMOND. 


589 


on  every  hand  buildings  set  on  fire  by  the  fast-falling  shells  were 
sending  up  volumes  of  smoke  and  flame.  Mounting,  he  escaped 
only  by  spurring  his  steed  into  a  gallop,  under  a  heavy  fire. 

Lee  then  gathered  his  men  into  the  inner  line  of  works,  and 
immediately  sent  word  to  the  civil  authorities  that  Richmond 
must  be  surrendered.  The  messenger  reached  Davis  in  his  seat 
at  St.  Paul's  Church.  With  pallid  face,  the  ruined  president 
hastily  retired.  The  fatal  news  startled  the  people  like  a  thunder 
clap  from  the  clear  sky.  Suddenly,  the  streets,  which  had  before 
been  so  silent,  were  filled  with  men  hastening  to  escape  with  their 


CITY   OF   RICHMOND. 


effects  from  the  doomed  city.  The  excitement  was  like  that  in  the 
front  of  a  sweeping  conflagration.  A  hundred  dollars  in  gold 
were  paid  for  the  use  of  a  wagon  for  a  single  hour.  Night  in 
creased  the  disorder.  The  guards  having  been  withdrawn,  the 
inmates  of  the  Penitentiary  escaped.  The  mob  got  control  of 
the  city.  Stores  were  broken  open.  Costly  fabrics  strewed  the 
side-walks.  The  gutters  ran  with  liquor.  Confederate  scrip  was 
trampled  in  the  mud.  Men  and  women  reeled  through  the  streets 
staggering  under  the  plunder  they  had  secured .  The  yells  of  the 
crowd,  the  crash  of  broken  glass,  and  the  noise  of  mad  revel,  made 
the  night  hideous. 

Then  came  a  new  horror.     General  Ewell,  in  command  of  the 
Confederate  rear-guard,  having  blown  up    the  iron-clads  in  the 


590  LAST    YEAR'  OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [A|8653> 

river,  set  fire  to  a  large  tobacco  Avarehouse  in  the  very  heart  of 
the  city.  The  flames  soon  extended  to  the  neighboring  buildings, 
and  thirty  squares  were  laid  in  ashes.  Amid  the  roar  of  the 
flames,  the  noise  of  falling  buildings,  the  screams  of  women  and 
children,  the  explosion  of  shells,  and  the  ghastliness  of  the  air 
thick  with  cinders,  came  the  advance  of  the  Federal  army,  driving 
before  it  the  maddened  crowd  of  plunderers.  The  Stars  and 
Stripes  soon  floated  from  the  Capitol ;  order  was  restored  in  the 
streets ;  soldiers  were  set  at  work  fighting  the  fire  ;  and  before 
night,  every  one  was  safe  under  the  national  protection.  Yet  sad 
indeed  were  the  hearts  of  those  who  lay  down  by  the  side  of 
blackened  walls,  amid  the  quiet  of  a  great  desolation,  their  hearts 
aching  the  while  with  "  a  dull  sense  that  the  work  of  years  had 
been  ruined  and  that  all  they  possessed  had  been  swept  away." 

Meanwhile,  Lee,  with  the  wreck  of  his  army,  had  been  pushing 
rapidly  toward  Burkesville,  at  the  junction  of  the  Danville  and 
Southside  railroads.  By  daylight,  April  3d,  when  the  Union 
pickets  were  cautiously  creeping  over  the  deserted  entrench 
ments  before  Petersburg,  he  was  already  sixteen  miles  away. 

There  was  to  be  a  different  pursuit  from  that  after  Antietam  or 
Gettysburg.  Grant  at  once  threw  every  man,  horse  and  gun  into 
the  chase. 

Lee  had  sent  instructions  to  have  rations  ready  for  his  men  at 
Amelia  Court-House.  On  reaching  this  point,  he  found  to  his 
dismay  that  the  Richmond  authorities  had  ordered  the  supply- 
train  thither  on  Sunday,  without  unloading.  It  was  necessary 
to  halt  for  two  days,  that  the  army  might  collect  food  in  this 
impoverished  country.  Sheridan,  with  his  cavalry,  now  got  the 
start  and  struck  the  railroad  at  Jetersville,  seven  miles  in  advance 
of  the  Confederate  army.  The  Fifth  corps  soon  joined  him.  The 
victors  of  Five  Forks  were  thus  planted  squarely  across  Lee's 
path,  and  he  was  forced  to  take  a  new  route.  He  accordingly 
gave  up  joining  Johnston  and  turned  toward  Lynchburg,  whence 
he  hoped  to  reach  the  cover  of  the  mountains. 

Then  began  a  terrible  race  for  life.  It  lasted  four  days. 
Grant  threw  one  column  on  the  south  and  another  on  the  north, 
while  a  third  pressed  upon  the  rear  of  the  retreating  army. 
Sheridan's  cavalry  hung  on  its  flanks  with  dogged  tenacity. 
Davies,  with  his  command,  struck  the  Confederate  wagon-train 
at  Paine's  Cross-Roads,  burned  one  hundred  and  eighty  wagons, 
and  captured  five  guns.  The  Confederate  infantry  closed  in 


April  5,  6,1 
1865. 


LEE'S    RETREAT. 


591 


about  him,  but  Gregg  and  Smith  came  to  his  help.  Custer,  with 
another  division,  pierced  the  Confederate  line  of  march,  destroy 
ing  four  hundred  wagons  and  taking  sixteen  guns.  Crook's  and 
Devin's  brigades  having  joined  him,  together  they  cut  off  Ewall's 
men,  and  by  incessant  charges  kept  them  at  bay  until  the  Sixth 
corps  came  up,  when  they  forced  them  to  surrender,  six  thousand 


CAVALRY  CHARGE  ON  THE   CONFEDERATE   WAGON-TRAIN. 


strong.    Read,  with  a 

squadron   of   cavalry 

and  two  regiments  of 

infantry,      recklessly 

threw  himself  before 

Lee's  column  as  it  was  about  to  cross  the  High  Bridge  over  the 

Appomattox.     The  Confederates  thrust  his  little  force  aside,  and 

he  was  killed  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  a  Southern  officer.     Lee 

crossed  the  river,  and  by  marching  all  night  left  his  pursuers  far 

behind. 

At  dawn,  however,  the  last  of  the  Confederates,  the  debris  of 
the  retreat,  had  just  crossed.  General  Mahone,  who  had  charge 
of  the  rear,  having  established  a  line  of  defence,  went  back  to  the 
bridge  and  found  the  officer  in  command  stupidly  waiting  for 
orders  to  fire  it.  Fuel  was  hastily  brought  together  and  the 


592  LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 

match  applied.  At  that  instant,  the  Federal  skirmishers,  coming 
up  on  the  hill  beyond,  caught  sight  of  the  bridge  and  rushed 
forward.  Under  their  dropping  shots,  the  guard  retreated.  The 
Second  corps  soon  arrived  and  captured  the  bridge  with  eighteen 
guns  upon  the  bank.  Pushing  on  rapidly,  General  Humphreys 
found  Lee's  army  encamped  in  a  strong  position.  He  attempted 
to  carry  it,  but  was  driven  back  with  a  loss  of  six  hundred  men. 

Under  cover  of  the  darkness,  Lee  continued  his  flight.  The 
condition  of  his  army  was  indeed  woful.  History  has  not 
recorded  such  a  retreat  since  Napoleon  fled  from  Moscow. 
Every  mud-hole  along  the  route  was  choked  with  blazing  wagons, 
fired  to  prevent  their  capture.  Ammunition  trains  were  blown 
up,  and  the  air  resounded  with  exploding  powder  and  bursting 
shells.  Famine  was  fast  doing  its  work  on  the  jaded,  starving 
men,  who  yet  clung  to  their  banners.  Many  dropped  their  guns 
from  pure  exhaustion.  If  they  straggled  in  search  of  food,  or  laid 
down  to  catch  a  moment's  rest,  on  their  heels  quickly  thundered 
the  remorseless  enemy,  who  drove  them  on  day  and  night. 
"  Death  itself,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  was  often  welcomed  as 
God's  messenger  in  disguise." 

At  midnight  of  the  8th,  Custer,  by  a  thirty-miles  march,  reached 
Appomattox  Station,  captured  four  trains  loaded  with  supplies  for 
Lee,  drove  back  the  Confederate  advance,  and  took  possession  of 
the  road  in  front  of  the  fleeing  enemy.  Before  dawn,  Sheridan 
came  up  with  the  troops  of  Ord  and  Griffin.  The  road  to  Lynch- 
burg  was  closed. 

For  two  days  Lee  and  Grant  had  been  corresponding  concern 
ing  a  surrender,  and  the  Union  general  had  offered  generous  terms, 
hoping  to  prevent  further  bloodshed.  Early  in  the  morning  of  the 
9th,  Lee,  consulting  with  Longstreet  and  Mahone  around  his  camp- 
fire,  decided  that  if  they  should  find  infantry  in  front,  there  was 
no  escape.  General  Gordon  accordingly  advanced  with  his  corps, 
supported  by  Fitz  Lee's  cavalry.  They  dashed  forward,  driving 
Sheridan's  troopers  before  them,  when  suddenly  the  Federal  cav 
alry  drew  aside  to  the  right  and  left,  revealing  in  the  rear  dense 
masses  of  infantry  in  solid  battle-line.  It  was  the  last  charge  of 
the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  A  white  flag  appeared  in  the 
Confederate  front.  The  battle  was  stayed. 

Lee,  learning  the  result  of  Gordon's  movement,  requested  an 
interview  with  Grant.  The  two  generals  accordingly  met  in  the 
largest  of  the  five  houses  in  Appomattox,  passing  through  a 


April  9,1 
1865.  J 


LEE'S    SURRENDER. 


593 

yard  blooming  with  spring  flowers.  There  was  no  display,  no 
sentiment.  Simply  greeting  each  other,  they  proceeded  at  once 
to  business.  Seated  at  a  plain  table  they  drew  up  the  papers  of 
surrender,  exchanged  bows,  and  parted.  Lee  returned  to  his 
headquarters.  On  his 
arrival,  the  lines  of 
battle,  no  longer  nec 
essary,  were  quickly 
broken,  and  his  men 
thronged  about  him 
for  a  farewell.  He 
could  only  say  in  sup 
pressed  tones,  and 
with  eyes  full  of  tears, 
"We  have  fought 
through  the  war  to 
gether.  I  have  done 
the  best  I  could  for 
you." 

The  Confederate 
army  paraded  for  the 
last  time  on  the  I2th, 
just  four  years  from 
the  firing  of  the  first 
gun  on  Sumter.  At 
the  signal,  the  men 

fixed  bayonets,  stacked  guns,  and  threw  over  them  their  tat 
tered  colors,  some  reverently  kissing  the  banners  they  had  de 
fended  so  long  and  so  well.  There  were  only  eight  thousand 
soldiers  to  lay  down  their  arms,  although  twenty-seven  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  five  Avere  included  in  the  surrender.  They 
were  then  paroled  and  allowed  to  go  home.  Grant,  with  true 
delicacy,  absented  himself  from  the  ceremony.  Every  effort  was 
made  to  spare  the  feelings  of  the  vanquished,  and  the  Union  troops, 
in  that  hour  of  triumph,  shared  the  contents  of  their  haversacks 
with  their  starving  brethren. 

Sherman,  learning  of  Lee's  surrender,  put  his  army  in  mo 
tion  to  prevent  Johnston's  escape.  On  the  I4th,  he  received  a 
letter  from  that  officer  relative  to  a  capitulation.  An  interview 
took  place  near  Durham's  Station,  and  terms  were  arranged  for 
disbanding  the  remaining  armies  of  the  Confederacy.  Besides 

38 


LEE   AND   GRANT  SIGNING   THE   TERMS   OF   SURRENDER. 


594 


LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


rMay, 
LI865. 


this,  however,  the  basis  of  a  peace  was  agreed  upon,  which  recog 
nized  the  several  State  governments,  and  guaranteed  to  the  people 
the  elective  franchise,  their  political  rights,  and  a  general  amnesty. 
The  memorandum  was  transmitted  to  Washington.  Meanwhile, 
important  events  had  there  occurred  which  had  materially  changed 
the  views  of  the  authorities.  The  terms  were  rejected.  Grant 
was  sent  to  Sherman  to  take  charge  of  affairs.  Johnston  had  no 
resource  but  to  surrender  on  the  same  conditions  with  Lee. 

The  other  Confederate  troops  rapidly  followed.      The  situa 
tion  was  universally  accepted.     Guerilla-bands  everywhere  threw 

down  their  arms.  Peace  came  as 
by  magic.  Smith's  trans -Missis 
sippi  army,  the  last  Confederate 
force,  surrendered  to  General  Can- 
by,  May  26th.  The  civil  war  was 
over. 

We  left  Davis  passing  out  of 
St.  Paul's  Church,  Richmond.  He 
escaped  to  Danville,  where  he 
sought  to  re-establish  the  Confed 
erate  government.  On  the  sur 
render  of  Lee,  he  fled  to  Johnston's 
army.  Finding  the  Confederacy 
generally  despaired  of,  he  con 
tinued  on  to  Charlotte,  where  his 
cabinet  forsook  him.  The  fugitive  president  then  hurried  through 
Georgia,  hoping  to  reach  Texas.  A  reward  of  one  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars,  however,  had  been  offered  for  his  arrest,  and  the 
Federals  were  on  his  track.  May  loth,  a  detachment  of  Wilson's 
cavalry  overtook  his  party  while  in  camp  at  Irwinville.  Lieu 
tenant  Stuart,  of  Davis's  staff,  says :  "  Hearing  musketry-firing, 
we  supposed  it  to  be  between  some  apprehended  marauders  and 
the  camp-defenders.  Mr.  Davis  hurriedly  put  on  his  boots,  and 
prepared  to  go  out  for  the  purpose  of  interposing,  saying, 
"  '  They  will  at  least  as  yet  respect  me.' 

"  As  he  reached  the  tent-door,  he  saw  a  few  cavalry  ride  up  the 
road  and  deploy  in  front. 

"  '  Ha  !  Federals ! '  was  his  exclamation. 
"  '  Then  you  are  captured ! '  cried  Mrs.  Davis. 
"  In  a  moment  she  caught  an  idea — a  woman's  idea — and,  as 
quickly  as  women  in  an  emergency  execute  their  designs,  it  was 


JEFFERSON   DAVIS. 


A,P8654']  LINCOLN'S    ASSASSINATION.  595 

done.  He  slept  in  a  wrapper — a  loose  one.  It  was  yet  around 
him.  This  she  fastened,  and  bidding  him  adieu,  urged  him  to  go 
to  the  spring,  a  short  distance  off,  where  his  horses  and  arms  were. 
Davis  felt  that  this  was  his  only  course,  and  complied.  As  he  was 
leaving  the  door,  followed  by  a  servant  with  a  water-bucket,  Miss 
Howell  flung  a  shawl  over  his  head."  As  the  three,  Davis,  his 
wife  and  sister,  moved  toward  the  woods,  they  were  stopped  in  the 
gray  dawn  by  a  corporal's  "  Halt,  or  I'll  fire  ! "  The  disguise  had 
failed  and  escape  was  hopeless.  The  ex-president's  family  were 
carried  to  Savannah  and  set  at  liberty  ;  while  he  was  taken  to 
Fortress  Monroe.  An  indictment  for  treason  was  found  against 
him,  and  the  next  year  one  for  treason  and  conspiracy.  In  1867, 
he  was  released  on  bail,  Horace  Greeley  and  John  Minor  Botts, 
among  others,  becoming  his  bondsmen.  After  various  delays  in 
bringing  the  case  to  trial,  he  was  discharged  under  the  Proclama 
tion  of  Amnesty,  December  25,  1868. 

We  now  turn  to  Washington,  where,  during  these  months 
pregnant  with  such  momentous  consequences  to  the  country,  a 
sad  tragedy  had  been  enacted.  Lincoln,  though  he  had  vigor 
ously  pressed  the  war  to  its  conclusion,  now  that  peace  had 
come  thought  only  of  reconciliation  and  mercy.  "  With  malice 
toward  none,  with  charity  for  all,"  his  simple  heart  could  not 
entertain  the  thought  of  that  personal  danger  against  which  he 
had  been  so  often  warned.  On  the  day  after  the  fall  of  Rich 
mond,  he  visited  that  city,  walked  its  streets  unguarded,  and 
gave  a  public  reception  in  Jefferson  Davis's  mansion.  Having 
returned  to  Washington,  it  was  announced  that  he  would  visit 
Ford's  Theatre  on  the  evening  of  the  Hth,  the  anniversary  of  the 
fall  of  Sumter.  Although  feeling  quite  indisposed,  he  went  in 
order  not  to  disappoint  the  public.  While  sitting  in  his  box  with 
Mrs.  Lincoln,  a  play-actor  named  John  Wilkes  Booth  entered 
from  behind  and  shot  him  through  the  head.  The  assassin  then 
came  forward,  brandished  a  knife,  and  shouted  Sic  semper  tyrannis 
—So  always  to  tyrants.  Endeavoring  to  leap  to  the  stage,  his 
spur  caught  in  the  flag  draped  in  front  of  the  box,  and  he  fell, 
breaking  his  leg.  He  sprang  up,  however,  and  amid  the  confu 
sion  escaped  behind  the  scenes.  Lincoln  dropped  forward  uncon 
scious,  and  was  removed  to  a  private  house,  where  he  died  the 
next  morning,  without  a  sign  of  recognition  or  a  parting  word  to 
the  friends  who  watched  so  anxiously  by  his  side. 

In  the  midst  of  the  national  rejoicings  over  the  return  of  peace, 


LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


[ApriM4_-26, 


1865. 


the  tidings  of  the  President's  assassination  came  to  every  heart 
with  a  keen,  sudden  anguish.  Fast  upon  this  was  flashed  the 
news  that  at  the  same  hour,  an  accomplice  had  forced  his  way  to 
the  bed  of  William  H.  Seward — who  had  been  thrown  from  a 
carriage  and  was  laid  up  with  his  injuries — severely  wounded  his 
son,  and  then  stabbed  the  helpless  secretary  three  times  with  a 
bowie-knife.  The  conspirators  who  were  to  assassinate  other 
cabinet  officers,  together  with  Vice-President  Johnson  and  Gen 
eral  Grant,  had  fortunately  failed  of  their  purpose. 


ASSASSINATION    OF    PRESIDENT    LINCOLN. 


A  thrill  of  horror  ran  over  the  civilized  world.  The  North 
was  outraged.  For  the  moment,  it  was  supposed  that  the  late 
Confederate  authorities  were  implicated.  Sherman's  terms  of 
peace  were  at  once  rejected.  The  South  found  that  in  Abraham 
Lincoln  it  had  lost  a  friend  on  whom  it  could  rely,  and  that  the 
work  of  reconciliation  was  greatly  complicated  by  this  act  of  a 
madman. 

Booth,  after  his  escape,  mounted  a  horse  which  was  in  readi 
ness  and  fled  into  Maryland.  He  rode  thirty  miles  before  he 
dared  to  stop  to  have  his  leg  set.  Having  crossed  the  Potomac, 
he  was  overtaken  by  his  pursuers  in  a  barn  near  Bowling  Green. 
As  he  refused  to  surrender,  the  building  was  fired  to  drive  him 
out.  While  he  stood  at  bay,  defiant,  one  of  the  soldiers  shot  him 
by  the  light  of  the  flames.  Singularly,  the  fatal  wound  was  in 


1861-5.]  COST   OF  THE   WAR.  597 

nearly  the  same  place  as  that  of  the  martyred  President.  Booth's 
accomplices  were  arrested,  tried  by  a  military  court  and  con 
victed.  Harrold,  who  aided  Booth  ;  Payne,  who  attacked  Sew- 
ard  ;  Atzerott,  who  was  to  have  assassinated  Johnson ;  and  Mrs. 
Surratt,  at  whose  house  the  conspirators  met,  were  hanged ; 
Arnold  and  McLaughlin,  who  were  also  accomplices,  and  Dr. 
Mudd,  who  dressed  Booth's  wound,  were  imprisoned  for  life ; 
Spangler,  who  assisted  the  assassin  in  his  escape,  was  sentenced 
for  six  years. 

There  are  some  general  topics  connected  with  the  Civil  War 
worthy  of  attention.  The  entire  number  of  soldiers  enlisted  by 
the  national  government  was  two  million  six  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  thousand  five  hundred  and  twenty -three.  As  many  of  these 
served  on  more  than  one  call  and  desertions  were  frequent,  per 
haps  not  more  than  one  million  five  hundred  thousand  actually 
took  the  field.  The  Confederates  had  in  active  service  probably 
six  hundred  thousand  soldiers.  Each  side  lost  about  three  hun 
dred  thousand  men,  who  were  either  killed  in  battle  or  who  died 
of  disease  or  wounds ;  to  which  should  be  added  at  least  two 
hundred  thousand  more  who  were  crippled  or  enfeebled  for  life. 
The  industries  of  the  country,  therefore,  lost  the  services  of  one 
million  able-bodied  men  by  these  four  years  of  strife. 

The  monetary  cost  of  this  struggle  is  partly  shown  by  the 
war-debts  on  both  sides.  The  Union  debt,  June,  1860,  was  only 
about  sixty-five  million  dollars  ;  January,  1866,  it  had  reached  two 
billion  seven  hundred  and  fifty  million  dollars.  Add  to  this  vast 
amount  the  bounties  paid  by  the  States,  counties,  cities,  towns, 
and  individuals ;  the  pensions  to  the  wounded ;  and  the  benefac 
tions  to  soldiers'  families,  and  the  aggregate  would  exceed  four 
billion  dollars.  The  Confederate  debt  at  the  breaking  up  of  its 
government  was  two  billion  dollars,  which,  of  course,  has  never 
been  paid.  These  immense  sums  leave  untouched  the  vast  waste 
and  wholesale  devastation  incident  to  war — the  desolated  fields, 
the  ruined  towns  and  cities,  and  the  demolished  railroads. 

Various  financial  measures  were  adopted  by  the  Federal 
authorities  to  meet  the  current  expenses,  Avhich  at  one  time 
reached  three  million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  per  day.  At 
first,  fifty  million  dollars  were  advanced  by  the  principal  banks. 
Large  subscriptions  were  made  by  wealthy  persons.  Additional 
duties  were  imposed  on  tea,  coffee  and  other  articles.  Such  was 
the  derangement  of  the  finances  that,  December  30,  1861,  the 


598  LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  [1861-5. 

banks  of  New  York  suspended  specie  payments,  an  example  which 
was  generally  followed.  By  successive  acts,  Congress  authorized 
the  issue  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  million  dollars  of  paper  money, 
familiarly  known  as  ''greenbacks."  Silver  and  gold  began  to 
command  a  premium  and  to  disappear  from  circulation.  Postage 
stamps,  ferry  and  omnibus  tickets,  and  "  shinplasters,"  issued  by 
individuals  or  corporations,  were  used  for  small  change.  Con 
gress  hereupon  authorized  a  fractional  or  postal  currency,  which 
soon  came  into  common  use.  February  25,  1863,  the  act  estab 
lishing  the  national  banking  system  was  passed.  Duties  were 
greatly  increased.  Taxes  were  levied  on  incomes  and  manu 
factures,  and  revenue  stamps  were  ordered  to  be  affixed  to  all 
notes,  checks,  bonds,  mortgages,  etc.  The  principal  relief,  how 
ever,  was  obtained  from  the  sale  of  United  States  bonds.  The 
several  issues  of  these  are  known  as  Seven-Thirties — the  rate  of 
interest  being  seven  and  thirty-hundredths  per  cent.  ;  Five-Twen 
ties  and  Ten-Forties — the  time  of  redemption  of  the  former  being 
fixed  at  not  less  than  five  nor  more  than  twenty  years,  and  of  the 
latter,  at  not  less  than  ten  nor  more  than  forty  years. 

During  the  war,  Humanity  had  its  own  victories.  The  San 
itary  and  Christian  Commissions  performed  a  work  of  mercy 
unknown  in  the  history  of  the  world.  Sanitary  fairs  were  held  in 
the  chief  towns  and  cities.  Voluntary  contributions  were  offered. 
Lint  was  picked.  Garments  were  made  and  dainties  prepared 
without  stint.  Every  possible  comfort  was  provided  for  the  sick 
and  the  wounded.  Loving  hands  toiled  tirelessly,  while  the  warm 
hearts  which  strengthened  them  stretched  out  to  Southern  battle 
fields,  and 

Enfolded  in  an  atmosphere  of  prayer 

The  dear,  brave  boys  who  fought  and  suffered  there. 

The  Christian  Commission  sent  clergymen  who  visited  the 
camps,  prayed  and  talked  with  the  soldiers,  and,  while  they  min 
istered  to  their  physical  necessities,  tried  to  lead  them  to  a  higher 
life.  Agents  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  were  almost  omnipresent. 
Wherever  there  was  a  camp  or  a  picket  station,  and  much  more 
where  a  great  battle  impended,  thither  came  these  messengers  of 
mercy,  provided  with  every  appliance  that  ingenuity  could 
devise,  love  prepare,  or  money  procure.  They  furnished  ambu 
lances,  hospital  cars  and  steamers,  stretchers,  nurses,  canned 
fruits,  medicines,  bandages,  clothing,  hot  coffee,  postage  stamps, 


1861-5.]  SANITARY    COMMISSIONS.  599 

paper  and  envelopes,  reading  matter,  prayer-meetings,  Christian 
burial — no  want  of  body  or  soul  was  overlooked.  The  blue 
and  the  gray  shared  alike  in  these  offices  of  mercy.  Soldiers 
who  had  wandered  from  their  regiments,  or  who  had  been  dis 
charged  or  were  on  sick  leave,  found  Lodges  ready  to  receive 
them.  Troops  en  route  to  or  from  the  seat  of  war,  at  every 
halting-place  were  fed  with  generous  hospitality,  and  waited 
upon  by  the  first  ladies  of  the  neighborhood.  Wives  and  mothers 
who  came  to  visit  their  friends  in  the  army  were  welcomed  to 
Homes  with  kindness  and  sympathy.  The  Sanitary  Commission 
alone  thus  became  the  almoner  of  nearly  twenty-five  million  dollars. 

The  South,  with  its  limited  means,  was  less  prodigal,  but  no 
less  hearty  in  its  generosity.  The  men  were  swept  off  by  the 
relentless  conscription  law,  but  the  women,  left  at  home  alone, 
devoted  themselves  to  the  struggle  with  that  earnestness  and 
ardor  characteristic  of  the  Southern  race.  (See  Appendix.) 

Self-sacrifice  to  them  was  only  adding  privation  to  privation, 
yet  they  shrunk  from  nothing  which  might  aid  "  The  Cause." 
Already,  from  necessity,  raspberry  leaves — the  old  Revolutionary 
resource — shared  with  sassafras  the  honors  of  the  tea-pot,  while 
roasted  grains  and  sweet-potato  chips  took  the  place  of  mocha. 
Sugar  became  an  expensive  luxury,  and  the  once  despised  sor 
ghum  was  made  to  do  service  in  desserts  and  sweetmeats,  which 
were  eaten  from  the  rare  old  family  china  with  a  heroic  ignoring 
of  the  plebeian  molasses  "  twang."  Salt  was  a  necessity  for 
which  there  was  no  substitute.  So  carefully  was  it  economized 
that  even  the  barrels  were  soaked  in  which  salt  pork  or  fish  had 
been  packed,  the  water  being  afterward  evaporated,  that  not  a 
grain  might  be  lost.  Fashion  became  submissive,  and  at  the  gay 
"  starvation  parties,"  where  no  refreshments  were  served,  beauti 
ful  women  appeared  in  garments  carded,  woven,  spun  and  dyed 
by  their  own  fair  hands.  Gas  was  beyond  the  reach  of  most 
families,  but  light-wood  knots,  tallow  candles,  and,  above  all,  the 
so-called  "  Confederate  candle "  supplied  its  place.  The  last- 
named  substitute  consisted  of  a  long  wick — the  longer  the  better 
— drawn  through  a  mixture  of  wax  and  resin  till  it  was  thoroughly 
and  smoothly  coated,  when  it  was  wound  on  a  little  wooden  frame 
which  was  called  the  "  Confederate  candlestick " ;  the  free  end 
of  the  wick  was  passed  through  a  bit  of  tin  which  was  nailed  on 
the  upper  part  of  the  candlestick,  and,  on  being  lighted,  was 
uncoiled  as  wanted.  Large  thorns  with  wax  heads  were  made 


6oo 


LAST    YEAR    OF    THE    CIVIL    WAR. 


[1861-5. 


to  serve  for  hair-pins.  Shoes  were  manufactured  with  wooden 
soles,  to  which  the  uppers  were  fastened  by  means  of  small  tacks. 
The  devices  of  the  women  for  raising  money  to  carry  on  the 
war  were  many  and  ingenious.  Silver-plate  and  jewelry  became 
free-will  offerings,  and  the  government  published  "  monthly  lists 
of  contributions  of  rings,  sugar-pots  and  spoons."  One  associa 
tion  advertised  all  through  the  South  for  broken  kitchen-pots  and 
pans,  hoping  thus  to  procure  enough  iron  to  build  an  armored 
steamer.  It  was  even  suggested  by  an  ardent  woman  in  Mobile 
that  all  the  true  feminine  patriots  should  consent  to  be  shorn,  and 
a  calculation  was  seriously  made  of  the  amount  which  might  be 
realized  in  the  European  markets  by  the  sale  of  so  many  heads  of 
hair.  Whatever  opinion  one  may  hold  of  the  justice  of  the  cause 
which  lay  so  near  the  hearts  of  the  Southern  women,  they  can 
never  be  accused  of  lukewarmness  or  of  lack  of  devotion  to  their 
principles.  Their  courage  held  good  to  the  last ;  and  when  Lee 
surrendered,  hundreds  of  delicate  ladies  were  living  on  half 
rations,  that  they  might  share  their  few  remaining  comforts  with 
his  famishing  men. 


THE  SURRENDER   AT   APPOMATTOX   COURT-HOUSE. 


PART    V. 


t    ftp    tra. 


"  Immortal  Brothers,  we  have  heard ! 
Our  lips  declare  the  reconciling  word  : 
for  Battle  taught,  that  set  us  face  to  face, 

The  stubborn  temper  of  the  race, 
And  both,  from  fields  no  longer  alien,  come, 

To  grander  action  equally  invited, — 
Marshaled  by  Learning's  trump,  by  Labor's  drum, 

In  strife  that  purifies  and  makes  united ! 
We  force  to  build,  the  powers  that  would  destroy ; 

The  muscles,  hardened  by  the  sabre's  grasp, 

Now  give  our  hands  a  firmer  clasp  : 
We  bring  not  grief  to  you,  but  solemn  joy  I 

And,  feeling  you  so  near, 
Look  forward  with  your  eyes,  divinely  clear, 
To  some  sublimely-perfect,  sacred  year, 
When  sons  of  fathers  whom  ye  overcame 
Forget  in  mutual  pride  the  partial  blame, 
And  join  with  us,  to  set  the  final  crown 

Upon  your  dear  renown, — 
The  People's   Union  in  heart  and  name  /" 

BAYARD  TAYLOR'S  ODE  AT  GETTYSBURG. 


CHAPTER     XVIII. 

THE   ®ECA<DE   OF   ttECOJfSTfcUCTIOJf— 1865-1875. 


ITHIN  three  hours  after  Lincoln 
expired,  Andrew  Johnson  took  the 
oath  of  office  as  the  seventeenth 
President  of  the  United  States. 
Johnson  was  born  in  Raleigh, 
North  Carolina,  December  29, 
1808.  When  he  was  two  years 
old,  his  father  died,  leaving  the 
family  in  poverty.  At  the  age  of 
ten,  Andrew  was  apprenticed  to  a  tailor.  A  gentleman  often 
came  into  the  shop  and  read  to  the  workmen.  The  young  boy, 
eagerly  listening,  became  inspired  with  a  desire  to  secure  an  edu 
cation.  All  his  leisure  hours  were  thenceforth  devoted  to  study. 
In  1826  he  removed  to  Greenville,  Tennessee,  taking  with  him  his 
mother.  Here  he  married.  Thus  far  he  had  learned  only  to  read. 
His  wife  taught  him  to  write  and  to  cipher.  He  soon  took  a  great 
interest  in  politics.  Elected  an  alderman,  he  rose  to  be  mayor 


604  THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION.  [1865. 

member  of  the  legislature,  and  representative  in  Congress,  holding 
the  last  office  for  ten  years.  He  was  twice  chosen  governor.  The 
canvass  for  his  re-election  was  exciting.  At  one  meeting  Johnson 
appeared  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand,  laid  it  on  the  desk,  and  said : 
"  Fellow-citizens,  I  have  been  informed  that  part  of  the  business  to 
be  transacted  on  the  present  occasion  is  the  assassination  of  the  in 
dividual  who  has  now  the  honor  of  addressing  you.  I  beg  respect 
fully  to  propose  that  this  be  the  first  business  in  order.  Therefore, 
if  any  man  has  come  here  to-night  for  the  purpose  indicated,  I  do 
not  say  to  him,  let  him  speak,  but  let  him  shoot."  After  pausing 
for  a  moment,  with  his  hand  on  his  pistol,  he  said :  "  Gentlemen, 
it  appears  that  I  have  been  misinformed.  I  will  now  proceed  to 
address  you  on  the  subject  that  has  called  us  together."  When 
Tennessee  passed  the  ordinance  of  secession,  he  remained  stead 
fast  to  the  government.  His  loyal  sentiments,  his  efforts  to  aid 
the  Union  refugees,  and  the  persecution  which  he  experienced  at 
home,  commended  him  to  the  North.  In  1862,  he  was  appointed 
military  governor  of  Tennessee,  in  which  position  he  upheld  the 
Federal  cause  with  great  ability  and  zeal. 

Soon  after  his  inauguration  as  President,  in  the  course  of  a 
speech  on  the  condition  of  the  country,  he  declared  :  "  The  people 
must  understand  that  treason  is  the  blackest  of  crimes,  and  will 
be  surely  punished."  Severe  measures  were  consequently  ex 
pected,  but  his  official  acts  soon  dissipated  the  impression. 

The  close  of  the  war  found  at  least  one  million  five  hundred 
thousand  men  under  arms.  The  opening  of  the  new  era  was 
marked  by  the  disbanding  of  this  vast  armament.  A  grand  re 
view  of  the  armies  of  Grant  and  Sherman,  two  hundred  thousand 
strong,  took  place  in  the  presence  of  the  President  and  his  cabinet. 
For  twelve  hours  this  triumphal  procession,  thirty  miles  long, 
massed  in  solid  column  twenty  men  deep,  rolled  through  the 
broad  avenues  of  the  capital.  With  no  disturbance,  no  excite 
ment,  the  men  laid  down  their  arms  and  returned  to  their  homes. 
Soon  there  was  nothing  to  distinguish  the  soldier  from  the  citi 
zen,  except  the  recollection  of  his  bravery.  Never  had  the  world 
seen  such  a  triumph  of  democratic  institutions. 

Now  came  the  task  of  reconstruction.  It  presented  more  dif 
ficult  problems  than  the  war  itself.  Johnson  took  the  position 
that  a  State  could  not  secede,  and  therefore  none  of  the  Southern 
States  had  ever  been  really  out  of  the  Union.  Having  laid  down 
their  arms,  it  was  only  necessary  for  them  to  submit  to  the  na- 


1865.] 


JOHNSON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


605 


tional  authority  to  be  in  all 
respects  as  they  were  be 
fore  the  war.  He  recog 
nized  the  State  govern 
ments  that  had  been  formed 
in  Virginia,  Tennessee,  Ar 
kansas  and  Louisiana  under 
the  protection  of  the  Fed 
eral  army.  In  the  others, 
he  appointed  provisional 
governors,  and  authorized 
the  calling  of  conventions 
to  establish  loyal  govern 
ments. 

The  conventions,  which 
were  accordingly  held,  re 
pealed  the  ordinances  of 
secession,  repudiated  the 
Confederate  war  debt, 
and  ratified  the  thirteenth 
amendment.  April  29th, 
the  President  removed  re 
strictions  on  trade  with  the 
South,  and  a  month  later 
he  issued  a  proclamation  of 
amnesty  to  all  who  would 
take  the  oath  of  allegiance 
to  the  United  States.  A 
few  classes  of  individuals 
were  excluded,  but  many 
persons  thus  debarred  were 
pardoned  on  special  appli 
cation  to  the  President. 

The  thirteenth  amend 
ment  abolishing  slavery 
having  been  ratified  by  the 
legislatures  of  twenty-sev 
en  States,  on  the  iSth  of 
December  it  was  declared 
to  be  a  part  of  the  Consti 
tution  of  the  United  States. 


606  THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION.  [1865-8. 

Congress,  on  assembling  in  the  fall,  took  strong  ground  against 
the  reconstruction  policy  of  the  President.  It  claimed  that  the 
seceded  States  were  really  out  of  the  Union,  and  Congress  alone 
had  the  power  to  prescribe  to  them  the  terms  of  re-admission.  A 
committee  of  fifteen  was  appointed,  to  which  were  referred  all 
questions  concerning  the  reorganization  of  the  States.  Several 
important  acts  were  passed  over  Johnson's  veto.  January  25,  1866, 
enlarged  powers  were  granted  to  the  Freedmen's  Bureau — a  de 
partment  of  the  government  which  had  the  care  of  the  emancipated 
blacks  and  the  destitute  whites  of  the  South.  The  Civil  Rights 
bill  was  enacted  April  Qth,  guaranteeing  to  the  negroes  the  privi 
leges  of  citizenship.  The  Tenure-of-office  bill,  passed  March  2, 
1867,  provided  that,  contrary  to  the  decision  reached  by  the  first 
Congress  (see  page  336),  no  removal  from  office  should  be  made 
by  the  President  without  the  consent  of  the  Senate.  The  same 
day  the  South  was  divided  into  five  districts  and  placed  under 
military  governors.  By  a  subsequent  enactment,  the  commanders 
were  made  amenable  only  to  the  general  of  the  army. 

Meanwhile,  Congress  had  declared  that,  as  an  additional  guar 
anty,  another  amendment  to  the  Constitution  should  be  adopted. 
This  provided  (i)  that  equal  civil  rights  should  be  conceded  to  all, 
regardless  of  race  or  color ;  (2)  that  where  the  right  of  suffrage 
was  denied  to  any  portion  of  the  citizens  of  a  State,  the  basis  of 
representation  should  be  correspondingly  reduced ;  (3)  that  no 
person  should  hold  any  office  under  the  national  or  State  govern 
ments  who  had  violated  his  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States 
by  engaging  in  secession ;  (4)  that  the  national  debt  should  be 
held  inviolate  ;  (5)  that  the  Confederate  war  debt  should  be  void ; 
and  (6)  that  no  compensation  should  be  given  for  emancipated 
slaves.  This  was  incorporated  in  the  Constitution  July  28,  1868. 

The  effect  of  these  various  congressional  measures  was  largely 
to  exclude  from  office  the  better  class  of  the  Southern  people,  and 
to  throw  the  political  power  into  the  hands  of  an  ignorant  popula 
tion,  and  of  Northern  men  who  had  gone  South  after  the  war.  The 
latter  were,  in  too  many  cases,  mere  adventurers — "  carpet-bag 
gers,"  as  they  were  styled — who  had  been  drawn  hither  by  the 
hope  of  position  and  of  plunder. 

Tennessee  having  ratified  the  fourteenth  amendment,  in  July, 
1866,  it  was  restored  to  the  Union.  The  military  governors  in  the 
other  States  made  a  registry  of  votes,  and  held  elections  for  con 
ventions  to  remodel  their  constitutions,  in  accordance  with  the 


1866-8.] 


JOHNSON'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


607 


provisions  of  Congress.  After  a  protracted  struggle,  Arkansas, 
Alabama,  Florida,  Georgia,  Louisiana,  and  North  and  South 
Carolina  were  reconstructed,  and  their  senators  and  representa 
tives  admitted  to  the  councils  of  the  nation,  June  24,  1868. 

In  the  fall  of  1866,  Johnson,  with  a  brilliant  party,  made  a  tour 
from  Washington  to  Chicago,  to  be  present  at  the  laying  of  the 
corner-stone  of  a  monument  to  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  At  all  the 
principal  places,  the  President  addressed  the  assembled  multitude 
on  the  political  issues.  An  expression  which  he  used  several  times 
gave  rise  to  the  popular  phrase,  "  Swinging  round  the  circle." 

The  feeling  between  the  executive  and  the  legislative  branch 
of  the  government  at  last  came  to  an  issue.  In  August,  1867,  the 
President  notified  Mr.  Stanton,  the 
Secretary  of  War,  of  his  suspension 
from  office  and  the  appointment  of 
General  Grant  ad  interim.  The 
Secretary  vacated  his  post  under 
protest,  considering  the  removal  a 
violation  of  the  Tenure-of-office  bill. 
When  Congress  assembled,  it  re 
fused  to  sanction  the  President's 
act,  whereupon  General  Grant  re 
signed  his  office  to  Secretary  Stan- 
ton.  In  February,  1868,  the  Presi 
dent  again  informed  the  Secretary 
of  his  removal  and  the  appointment 
of  General  Thomas  to  the  vacancy. 
The  Senate  resolved  that  the  Pres- 

sident  had  no  power  to  remove  the  Secretary  of  War  and  desig 
nate  any  other  person  to  perform  the  duties  of  that  office. 

February  24th,  the  House  agreed  to  impeach  the  President  of 
"  high  crimes  and  misdemeanors."  The  trial  began  March  23d, 
the  Senate  being  organized  as  a  court,  with  Chief-Justice  Chase 
presiding.  Messrs.  Bingham,  Butler,  Boutwell,  Logan,  Stevens, 
Williams  and  Wilson  of  the  House  were  the  managers  of  the 
prosecution  ;  and  Messrs.  Curtis,  Evarts,  Groesbeck,  Nelson  and 
Stanbery  were  the  counsel  for  the  President.  The  decision  was 
taken  May  26th,  when  thirty-five  Senators  answered  "  guilty,"  and 
nineteen,  "  not  guilty."  As  a  two-thirds  vote  was  necessary  for 
conviction,  the  President  was  sustained.  Stanton  immediately 
resigned  his  post,  and  General  Schofield  succeeded  him. 

LIB*. 


ANDREW  JOHNSON. 


K  THE 


6o8  THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION.  [1862-6. 

On  July  4,  1868.  the  ninety-second  anniversary  of  the  national 
birthday,  a  pardon  was  proclaimed  to  all  engaged  in  the  late  war, 
except  those  already  indicted  for  treason  or  other  felony.  On 
Christmas  of  the  same  year — a  day  most  fitting  for  acts  of  good 
will  and  mercy  to  erring  brethren — a  UNIVERSAL  AMNESTY  was 
declared. 

Though  the  nation  was  still  agitated  by  political  strife — the 
ground-swell,  as  it  were,  of  the  recent  terrible  storm — the  coun 
try  was  rapidly  taking  on  the  appearance  and  ways  of  peace. 
The  South  was  slowly  adjusting  herself  to  the  novel  conditions 
of  free  labor.  The  soldiers  retained  somewhat  their  martial  air  ; 
but  "  blue-coats  "  and  "  gray-coats  "  were  everywhere  to  be  seen 
engaged  in  quiet  avocations.  The  ravages  of  war  were  fast  dis 
appearing.  Nature  had  already  sown  grass  and  quick-growing 
plants  upon  the  battle-fields  where  contending  armies  had  strug 
gled. 

"  There  were  domes  of  white  blossoms  where  swelled  the  white  tent ; 
There  were  plows  in  the  track  where  the  war-wagons  went  ; 
There  were  songs  where  they  lifted  up  Rachel's  lament." 

Strangely  symbolical  of  the  new  era  of  growth  which  had 
dawned  on  the  nation,  a  wanderer  over  the  cannon-plowed  slope 
of  Cemetery  Ridge  found  a  broken  drum,  in  which  a  swarm  of 
bees  were  building  their  comb  and  storing  honey  gathered  from 
the  flowers  growing  on  that  soil  so  rich  with  Union  and  Confed 
erate  blood. 

The  annual  interest  on  the  debt  was  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  million  dollars ;  but  the  revenue  from  duties  on  imported 
goods,  from  taxes  on  manufactures,  incomes,  etc.,  and  from  the 
sale  of  revenue  stamps,  was  over  three  hundred  million  dollars. 
Hence  this  provided  not  only  for  the  current  expenses  of  the 
government  and  the  payment  of  interest,  but  also  for  the  gradual 
extinguishment  of  the  debt.  It  is  a  striking  evidence  of  the 
abundant  resources  of  the  country  that,  in  1866,  "before  all  the 
extra  troops  called  out  by  the  war  had  been  discharged,  the 
national  indebtedness  had  been  diminished  more  than  thirty-one 
million  dollars." 

While  the  United  States  was  absorbed  in  the  Civil  War, 
Napoleon  III.  took  advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  attempt  to 
secure  a  foothold  on  this  continent.  In  1862,  France,  England 
and  Spain  sent  an  expedition  into  Mexico  to  obtain  redress  for 
injuries  suffered  by  foreign  residents  in  that  country,  and  also  to 


1865-7.]  JOHNSON'S    ADMINISTRATION.  609 

induce  the  people  to  elect  a  ruler  and  put  an  end  to  the  anarchy 
which  had  so  long  distracted  the  nation.  Difficulties  arose,  and 
the  Spaniards  and  the  English  abandoned  the  enterprise.  The 
French  thereupon  advanced  inland,  and  after  many  reverses,  suc 
ceeded  in  taking  the  city  of  Mexico.  Refusing  to  treat  with  the 
liberal  government  under  Juarez,  the  French  commander  called 
an  assembly,  which  decided  that  Mexico  should  be  an  empire,  and 
tendered  the  throne  to  Archduke  Maximilian  of  Austria.  He 
accepted  on  certain  conditions,  one  of  which  was  that  the  call 
should  be  a  spontaneous  expression  of  the  whole  nation.  After 
his  accession,  the  new  emperor  found  that  he  had  been  deceived, 
and  that  the  republican  feeling  was  still  strong.  The  United 
States  government,  now  freed  from  its  domestic  difficulty,  was 
ready  to  assert  the  Monroe  doctrine,  and  accordingly  demanded 
that  the  French  troops  should  be  withdrawn  from  this  continent. 
Maximilian,  abandoned  by  his  allies,  was  unable  to  maintain  his 
authority  against  Juarez.  He  was  captured,  tried  by  court-mar 
tial,  and  executed,  June  19,  1867.  With  him  fell  the  Mexican 
empire  and  the  dream  of  French  dominion  in  the  West. 

During  these  grand  political  movements,  science  had  achieved 
a  peaceful  triumph  whose  importance  far  transcended  the  victo 
ries  of  diplomatic  or  military  skill.  As  early  as  1853,  Cyrus  W. 
Field  of  New  York  had  conceived  the  idea  of  an  ocean  telegraph. 
An  association  was  organized  the  next  year,  and  in  1856,  a  line 
was  finished  from  New  York  to  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  a  dis 
tance  of  over  one  thousand  miles.  A  company  was  then  formed, 
with  a  capital  of  about  one  million  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars,  to  carry  the  wire  across  the  ocean.  A  cable  was  made, 
but  it  parted  while  being  laid,  August,  1857.  A  second  attempt, 
in  June,  1858,  failed  after  repeated  trials.  A  third  effort  in  July 
of  the  same  year  was  successful.  A  message  was  sent  from  the 
Queen  of  England  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  a 
reply  transmitted.  But  the  wire  worked  for  only  a  few  weeks 
and  then  became  silent.  The  time  and  money  spent  seemed  a 
total  loss.  Mr.  Field  alone  was  hopeful.  Through  his  efforts 
the  company  was  revived,  three  million  dollars  were  subscribed, 
and  a  new  cable  was  manufactured.  Meanwhile,  seven  years 
had  elapsed  since  the  first  failure.  In  July,  1865,  the  Great  East 
ern  commenced  laying  the  cable,  but  in  mid-ocean  it  parted  and 
sunk  to  the  bottom. 

Again  Mr.  Field  went  to  work,  raised  a  new  company,  with  a 
39 


6io 


THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION. 


[1866. 


capital  of  three  million  dollars,  and  made  a  third  cable.  The 
Great  Eastern  sailed  with  this,  June,  1866,  and  successfully 
accomplished  its  task;  the  first  message  transmitted  being,  "A 
treaty  of  peace  has  been  signed  between  Austria  and  Prussia." 
To  make  the  triumph  more  complete,  the  vessel  went  back,  found 
the  very  spot  in  the  broad  ocean  where  the  cable  of  1865  had 
parted,  and,  dropping  her  huge  grappling-irons  down  two  miles 
into  the  sea,  caught  the  lost  cable,  brought  it  to  the  surface,  and, 
splicing  it,  laid  the  remaining  portion.  The  two  cables  were 


THE   GREAT    EASTERN    IN    MID-OCEAN    LAYING   THE   CABLE. 

found  to  work  admirably.  So  perfect  is  the  connection  and  so 
delicate  the  instruments  used,  that  a  despatch  has  been  sent  from 
Valentia  Bay,  Ireland,  to  Heart's  Content,  Newfoundland,  a  dis 
tance  of  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty-four  miles,  by  a  battery  made 
in  a  gun-cap.  Field  had  spent  twelve  years  of  anxious  labor, 
during  which  he  had  crossed  the  Atlantic  nearly  fifty  times  ;  but 
American  energy  and  ingenuity  triumphed  at  last. 

In  1866,  the  movements  of  the  Fenians,  a  society  formed  for 
the  avowed  purpose  of  delivering  Ireland  from  the  English  rule, 
caused  great  apprehension  in  Canada.  Large  amounts  of  money 
were  subscribed  by  the  Irishmen  in  this  country,  and  extensive 
military  organizations  perfected.  June  ist,  fifteen  hundred  men 
crossed  the  frontier  from  Buffalo,  but  they  were  quickly  driven 
back.  Seven  hundred  fugitives  were  captured  by  a  United  States 


1868.]  JOHNSON'S  ADMINISTRATION.  611 

gun-boat.  General  Barry  paroled  large  numbers  of  the  privates 
and  released  the  officers  on  bail.  The  main  body  of  the  so-called 
"  Fenian  army"  advanced  a  little  later  from  St.  Albans,  Vermont, 
but,  after  some  skirmishing  with  the  British  troops,  returned 
across  the  line.  The  United  States  authorities  sent  home  the 
men  at  government  expense  and  held  the  officers  to  bail. 

The  4th  of  July,  this  year,  was  marked  by  a  destructive  con 
flagration  at  Portland,  Maine,  caused  by  a  fire-cracker.  Nearly 
one-third  of  the  city  was  consumed,  the  loss  being  ten  million 
dollars. 

The  year  1867  was  signalized  by  the  purchase  of  Alaska  from 
Russia  for  the  sum  of  seven  million  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 
The  territory  comprises  five  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  square 
miles  and  twenty-nine  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  chiefly  valuable 
for  its  fisheries,  furs  and  lumber. 

During  Lincoln's  administration,  but  one  State,  the  thirty- 
sixth,  was  received  into  the  Union.  This  was  Nevada,  so  named 
from  a  range  of  mountains  on  its  eastern  border,  the  Sierra- 
Nevada,  signifying  "  snow-covered  mountains."  It  was  the  third 
State  carved  out  of  the  territory  acquired  by  the  Mexican  war ; 
Texas  being  the  first  and  Colorado  the  second.  During  Johnson's 
administration,  also,  one  State,  the  thirty-seventh,  was  admitted, 
March  i,  1867.  This  was  Nebraska,  so  named  from  an  Indian  term 
meaning  the  "  water-valley." 

The  "  National  Union  Republicans "  held  a  convention  at 
Chicago,  May  21,  1868.  There  were  six  hundred  and  fifty  dele 
gates  present,  all  of  whom,  on  the  first  ballot,  cast  their  votes  for 
Ulysses  S.  Grant  as  their  candidate  for  the  presidency.  Schuyler 
Colfax  of  Indiana  was  then  nominated  for  the  vice-presidency. 

The  National  Democratic  convention  at  New  York,  July  4th, 
put  in  the  field  Horatio  Seymour  of  New  York  for  the  presidency, 
and  Frank  P.  Blair  of  Missouri  for  the  vice-presidency. 

The  election  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  Republican  candi 
dates,  Grant  and  Colfax  receiving  two  hundred  and  seventeen 
electoral  votes  ;  Seymour  and  Blair,  seventy-seven.  In  the  pop 
ular  vote  there  was  not  so  great  a  difference,  as  the  former  candi 
dates  received  two  million  nine  hundred  and  eighty-five  thousand 
and  thirty-one ;  and  the  latter,  two  million  six  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty.  Mississippi,  Texas  and 
Virginia  did  not  take  part  in  this  election. 

Ulysses  S.  Grant  was  inaugurated  eighteenth  President  of  the 


6l2 


THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION. 


[1869. 


GENERAL   GRANT'S   RESIDENCE   AT   GALENA,    ILL.    (l86o). 


United  States,  March  4,  1869.  Grant  was  born  of  Scotch  parentage 
at  Point  Pleasant,  Ohio,  April  27,  1822.  His  name  was  Hiram 
Ulysses,  but  on  being  appointed  to  West  Point  in  1839,  ne  was 

registered  as  Ulysses 
S.,  and  so  remained. 
He  graduated  twenty- 
first  in  a  class  of  thirty- 
nine,  and  became  a  sec 
ond  lieutenant  in  the 
army.  For  gallantry 
at  Molino  del  Rey,  he 
was  promoted  to  a 
first  lieutenancy,  and 
at  Chapultepec  he  was 
brevetted  captain.  In 
1854,  he  resigned  his 
commission,  and  when 
the  war  broke  out, 
he  was  engaged  with  his  father  in  the  leather  trade  at  Galena, 
Illinois.  He  raised  a  company  of  volunteers,  and  finally  took  the 
field  as  colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  regiment.  Soon  -after,  his 
history  became  a  part  of  the  general  record  of  the  war. 

President  Grant  chose  for  his  official  advisers :  Elihu  B. 
Washburne  of  Illinois,  Secretary  of  State;  Alexander  T.  Stewart 
of  New  York,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  General  J.  M.  Schofield 
of  the  United  States  Army,  Secretary  of  War ;  Adolph  E.  Borie 
of  Pennsylvania,  Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Jacob  D.  Cox  of  Ohio, 
Secretary  of  the  Interior;  John  A.  J.  Creswell  of  Maryland, 
Postmaster-General ;  and  E.  Rockwood  Hoar  of  Massachusetts, 
Attorney-General.  Mr.  Washburne  resigning  soon  after,  Hamil 
ton  Fish  of  New  York  was  appointed  in  his  stead.  A  law,  passed 
near  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  forbids  any  person 
engaged  in  trade  or  commerce  to  serve  as  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury.  Mr.  Stewart  being  a  merchant,  was  accordingly  ineli 
gible  to  the  place,  and  George  S.  Boutwell  of  Massachusetts  was 
selected.  General  Schofield  washing  to  return  to  the  army,  John 
A.  Rawlins  of  Illinois  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

This  year  was  made  memorable  in  our  history  by  the  com 
pletion  of  the  Central  Pacific  Railroad.  The  project  was  first 
advocated  by  Asa  Whitney,  who  spoke  upon  the  subject  as 
early  as  1846.  Surveys  to  decide  upon  the  best  route  were  made 


1869.] 


GRANT'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


by  the  authority  of  the  War  Department  in  1853.  Nothing,  how 
ever,  was  accomplished  until  July,  1862,  and  1864,  when  Congress 
granted  to  the  companies  undertaking  the  work  of  building  the 
road,  for  each  mile  they  should  complete,  twelve  thousand  acres  of 
land  and  a  subsidy,  varying,  according  to  the  difficulties  encoun 
tered,  from  sixteen  thousand  to  forty-eight  thousand  dollars.  The 
road  was  extended  eastward  from  California  by  the  Central  Pa 
cific  Company,  and  from  the  Missouri  River  westward  by  the 
Union  Pacific  Company.  The  work  was  performed  with  great 
rapidity,  the  track  being  laid  at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  miles 
per  day. 

The  last  tie  connecting  the  two  lines  was  laid  with  much  cere 
mony  at  Ogden,  May  10,  1869.     It  was  of  polished  laurel- wood 


DRIVING  THE   LAST   SPIKE. 


bound  with  silver-bands.  Three  spikes  were  used — a  gold  one, 
presented  by  California ;  a  silver  one,  by  Nevada ;  and  a  gold, 
silver  and  iron  one,  by  Arizona.  The  strokes  of  the  hammer  were 
telegraphed  over  the  Union.  When  the  junction  was  complete, 
an  invoice  of  tea  was  immediately  shipped  over  the  road  from  San 
Francisco,  and  the  telegraph  announced  that  the  "  overland  trade 


614  THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION.  [1870. 

with  China  and  Japan  was  inaugurated.  The  entire  length  of  the 
road  from  Omaha  to  San  Francisco  is  nineteen  hundred  and 
eleven  miles,  and  from  New  York,  about  three  thousand  four 
hundred  miles.  Cars  run  the  whole  distance  in  less  than  a  week. 

September  24th,  1869,  is  famous  in  business  circles  as  "  Black 
Friday."  An  association  known  as  the  "  Gold  Exchange"  had 
planned  to  get  control  of  all  the  gold  in  circulation.  At  the  date 
named  it  had  succeeded  in  raising  the  price  from  1.38  to  1.60. 
That  difference  meant  the  financial  ruin  of  multitudes.  At  this 
crisis  it  was  announced  that  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  would 
sell  four  million  dollars  in  gold  the  ensuing  day.  The  stringency 
of  the  market  was  at  once  relaxed,  and  gold  dropped  back  to  1.32. 

November  I2th  of  this  year  is  a  notable  date  in  the  ecclesi 
astical  history  of  this  country.  The  two  schools  of  the  Presby 
terian  Church  had  been  separated,  on  account  of  some  doctrinal 
differences,  since  1837.  Representatives  of  the  two  bodies  having 
convened  at  Pittsburg  decided  upon  a  reunion ;  and  on  that  day 
their  Moderators  grasped  each  other's  hands  in  token  thereof, 
amid  indescribable  enthusiasm. 

The  Fifteenth  Amendment,  which  guarantees  to  all  the  right 
of  suffrage,  irrespective  of  "  race,  color,  or  previous  condition  of 
servitude,"  was  formally  announced  to  be  a  part  of  the  Constitu 
tion,  March  30,  1870. 

Early  in  1870,  the  representatives  of  the  three  remaining  South 
ern  States  took  their  seats  in  Congress ;  Texas  being  the  last  to 
resume  her  former  place. 

The  ninth  census  of  the  United  States  was  completed  this  year. 
The  inhabitants  then  numbered  over  thirty-eight  millions,  an  in 
crease  of  seven  millions  during  the  previous  decade.  The  centre 
of  population  in  1840  was  just  south  of  Clarksburg,  West  Virginia ; 
in  1850,  a  little  south-east  of  Parkersburg,  West  Virginia  ;  in  1860, 
south  of  Chillicothe,  Ohio;  and  in  1870,  near  Hillsboro,  Ohio. 
During  the  last  three  decades  the  tide  of  population  had  set  west 
ward  at  the  rate  of  5.5,  8.2,  and  4.6  miles  per  annum  respectively. 
In  1840,  half  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  lived  east  of  a  line 
drawn  from  Oswego  to  Appalachee  Bay;  in  1870,  the  dividing 
line  ran  from  Cleveland,  Ohio,  a  little  west  of  Rome,  Georgia. 

The  Republic  of  Santo  Domingo,  on  the  island  of  Hayti,  seemed 
anxious  to  be  annexed  to  the  United  States.  President  Grant 
strongly  favored  the  plan.  He  accordingly  appointed  Senator 
Wade  of  Ohio,  President  White  of  Cornell  University,  and  Dr. 


1871.]  GRANT'S  ADMINISTRATION.  615 

Howe  of  Massachusetts,  as  a  Board  of  Commissioners  to  visit  the 
island.  They  reported  favorably,  but  the  measure  was  rejected 
by  Congress. 

There  was  at  this  time  in  New  York  a  combination  familiarly 
known  as  "  The  Ring,"  which  controlled  public  affairs.  William 
M.  Tweed  stood  at  its  head.  By  forging  bills  or  by  fraudulent 
accounts  it  had  abstracted  millions  of  dollars  from  the  treasury. 
A  committee  of  prominent  men  was  formed,  which  broke  up  the 
conspiracy.  Tweed  was  arrested,  tried,  and  imprisoned,  but 
he  escaped  in  December,  1875.  Several  of  his  companions  had 
previously  fled  the  country. 

Our  government  had  constantly  pressed  upon  the  attention  of 
the  English  authorities  a  claim  for  the  damages  caused  to  Amer 
ican  commerce  by  the  Anglo-Confederate  cruisers.  A  joint  high- 
commission,  consisting  of  five  eminent  statesmen  and  jurists  from 
each  country  accordingly  assembled  at  Washington,  February  27, 
1871.  They  arranged  the  basis  of  the  Treaty  of  Washington,  pro 
viding  that  the  claim  for  losses  should  be  submitted  to  a  board  of 
arbitration  appointed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States  and 
by  friendly  powers.  This  body  met  at  Geneva,  Switzerland,  in 
the  summer  of  1872.  Sixteen  million  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou 
sand  dollars  were  awarded  to  the  United  States. 

On  the  eve  of  October  8,  1871,  a  fire  broke  out  in  Chicago, 
which  proved  the  most  disastrous  conflagration  since  the  burning 
of  Moscow  in  1812.  The  flames,  driven  by  a  high  wind,  swept 
over  the  neighboring  lumber-yards,  leaped  the  South  Branch  of 
the  river,  and  spread  through  the  business  part  of  the  city.  All 
efforts  to  check  it  were  fruitless.  Fire-proof  buildings  burned 
like  tinder.  The  conflagration  raged  for  three  days,  when  it  died 
out  for  lack  of  fuel.  A  territory  a  mile  wide  and  four  and  a  half 
miles  long  had  been  swept  barren  by  the  fiery  deluge  ;  two  hun 
dred  persons  had  been  killed,  one  hundred  thousand  persons  left 
homeless,  and  two  hundred  million  dollars  worth  of  property  con 
sumed.  As  the  tidings  of  this  terrible  disaster  were  telegraphed 
over  the  world,  meetings  were  called  and  contributions  to  the 
amount  of  seven  million  dollars  were  made  for  the  relief  of  the 
sufferers.  Never  was  there  such  a  display  of  charity ;  it  was  only 
paralleled  by  the  energy  of  the  citizens  themselves'.  Within  a  year 
the  burnt  district  was  nearly  all  rebuilt,  and  within  two  years  the 
business  part  of  the  city  was  larger  than  ever. 

A  curious  incident  is  recorded  in  connection  with  this  fire.     A 


6l6  THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION.  [1872. 

news  establishment  containing  an  immense  stock  of  books  and 
periodicals  was  consumed.  Among  the  blackened  ruins  there  was 
found  a  single  leaf  of  a  Bible  charred  around  the  edges.  It  con 
tained  the  first  chapter  of  the  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah,  opening 
with  the  words :  "  How  doth  the  city  sit  solitary,  that  was  full  of 
people  !  how  is  she  become  as  a  widow  !  she  that  was  great  among 
the  nations,  and  princess  among  the  provinces,  how  is  she  become 
tributary  !  She  weepeth  sore  in  the  night,  and  her  tears  are  on 
her  cheeks :  among  all  her  lovers  she  hath  none  to  comfort  her." 

About  the  same  time  of  this  disaster,  extensive  conflagrations 
raged  in  the  forests  of  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and  Michigan. 
Entire  villages  were  consumed,  and  in  Wisconsin  alone,  fifteen 
hundred  people  perished. 

On  the  Qth  of  October,  1872,  Boston  was  also  visited  by  a  fire, 
that  destroyed  the  very  heart  of  its  wholesale  trade,  causing  a  loss 
of  seventy-five  million  dollars.  Nearly  eight  hundred  buildings 
were  consumed,  many  of  them  of  granite,  and  four  or  five  stories 
high. 

During  the  last  session  of  the  Forty-second  Congress,  the 
salary  of  the  President  was  doubled  ;  the  pay  of  the  Vice-Presi 
dent,  Speaker  of  the  House,  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and 
Heads  of  the  Departments  was  increased  twenty-five  per  cent.  ; 
and  that  of  Congressmen  was  raised  to  seven  thousand  five  hun 
dred  dollars.  As  the  action  was  made,  in  part,  retrospective,  a 
popular  outcry  was  raised,  and  the  terms  "  salary  grab  "  and 
"back  pay"  became  incorporated  into  the  political  as  well  as 
social  vocabulary  of  the  country. 

The  Liberal  Republicans,  i.  e.,  the  members  of  that  party  who 
were  opposed  to  the  policy  of  the  administration,  met  at  Cincin 
nati,  May  i,  1872.  They  nominated  Horace  Greeley  for  Presi 
dent,  and  B.  Gratz  Brown  of  Missouri,  for  Vice-President.  The 
Democratic  convention  at  Baltimore  afterward  endorsed  their 
selection.  The  Republican  party  renominated  General  Grant  by 
acclamation,  choosing  Henry  Wilson  of  Massachusetts  for  the 
vice-presidency.  The  campaign  was  heated  and  bitter.  The 
question  of  the  reconstruction  of  the  South  and  all  the  issues  of 
the  late  war  were  discussed,  oftentimes  with  virulence.  The 
Republican  candidates  were  elected.  They  received  two  hun 
dred  and  sixty-eight  votes  in  the  electoral  college,  against  eighty 
for  the  others,  and  had  a  popular  majority  of  seven  hundred  and 
sixty-two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  ninety-one. 


1873.] 


GRANT'S    ADMINISTRATION. 


6l7 


The  sad  fate  of  Horace  Greeley  cast  a  gloom  over  the  whole 
country.  The  desertion  of  his  life-long  friends,  the  excitement  of 
the  presidential  canvass,  and  the  death  of  his  wife  combined  to 
weaken  both  his  mind  and  body.  He  died  at  a  private  asylum, 
November  29th.  Forty- 
one  years  before,  he  came 
to  New  York  a  young  man 
of  twenty.  He  had  only 
ten  dollars  in  his  pocket, 
but  he  possessed  energy, 
will,  and  a  good  trade. 
Step  by  step,  he  rose  from 
the  compositor's  desk  to  an 
acknowledged  leadership  in 
journalism.  In  our  history, 
he  is  known  as  the  "  Founder 
of  the  New  York  Tribune." 

General  Grant  a  second 
time  took  the  oath  of  office 
as  President  of  the  United 
States,  March  4,  1873.  An 
anecdote  told  concerning 
the  inauguration  of  Mr.  Wilson  as  Vice-President,  is  character 
istic  of  the  man  and  the  republic.  "  The  evening  before  the 
ceremony,  he  called  on  Senator  Sumner  and  said,  *  Sumner,  can 
you  lend  me  a  hundred  dollars?  I  have  not  money  enough  to 
be  inaugurated  upon."  The  Senator  replied,  '  Certainly.  If  it 
had  been  a  large  sum,  I  might  not  have  been  able  to  help  you ; 
but  I  can  always  lend  a  friend  that  amount.'  He  then  gave  Mr. 
Wilson  a  check,  and  after  the  latter  had  retired,  turning  to  Mr. 
Carpenter,  he  remarked,  '  There  is  an  incident  worth  remember 
ing  ;  such  a  one  as  could  never  have  occurred  in  any  country  but 
our  own.' ' 

The  cabinet,  as  first  organized,  was  as  follows ;  Hamilton  Fish 
of  New  York,  Secretary  of  State  ;  William  A.  Richardson  of 
Massachusetts,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  ;  William  W.  Belknap 
of  Iowa,  Secretary  of  War  ;  George  M.  Robeson  of  New  Jersey, 
Secretary  of  the  Navy ;  Columbus  Delano  of  Iowa,  Secretary  of 
the  Interior  ;  George  H.  Williams  of  Oregon,  Attorney-General ; 
and  John  A.  J.  Creswell  of  Maryland,  Postmaster-General.  Sev 
eral  changes  by  death  or  resignation  afterward  occurred,  and  the 


HORACE   GREELEY. 


6l8  THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION.  [1873. 

following  new  appointments  were  made  ;  Benjamin  H.  Bristow 
of  Kentucky,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury ;  Zachariah  Chandler  of 
Michigan,  Secretary  of  the  Interior  ;  Edwards  Pierrepont  of  New 
York,  Attorney-General;  and  Marshall  Jewell  of  Connecticut, 
Postmaster-General. 

The  proper  method  of  treating  the  Indians  was  a  mooted 
question  throughout  the  decade.  The  Society  of  Friends  having 
suggested  to  Congress  the  wisdom  of  using  charity  instead  of 
gunpowder,  a  committee  of  Quakers  was  appointed  to  visit  the 
various  tribes  and  make  a  practical  trial  of  the  effect  of  kindness. 
The  result  was  favorable,  but  the  influence  was  necessarily  limited. 
There  were  continued  difficulties  with  the  red  men  along  the 
entire  frontier.  In  every  case,  the  military  power  was  used  to 
enforce  submission. 

In  1865-6,  the  Sioux  and  Cheyennes  took  the  war-path,  and 
perpetrated  horrible  massacres.  Sheridan  and  Custer  were  sent 
against  them,  and  the  victory  of  Wacheta  put  an  end  to  the  dis 
turbance.  In  1870,  a  tribe  of  the  Blackfeet  Indians  in  Montana 
renewed  the  horrors  of  the  Old  French  and  Indian  War.  Troops 
were  called  out.  The  Indian  villages  were  burned,  and  men, 
women  and  children  put  to  the  sword.  The  remnant  sued  for 
peace.  Three  years  later,  Captain  Jack's  band  of  Modocs  in  Ore 
gon  left  its  reservation  and  refused  to  return.  Troops  were  sent 
to  enforce  submission.  The  Modocs  retreated  to  the  Lava  Beds, 
which  formed  a  natural  fortification.  Commissioners  were  sent  to 
learn  their  grievance,  but  during  a  peaceful  conference,  the 
Indians  brutally  murdered  General  Canby  and  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas, 
and  stabbed  Mr.  Meachem.  The  Modocs  were  soon  after  be 
sieged  in  their  stronghold  and  forced  to  surrender.  The  leaders 
were  tried  by  military  commission  and  executed  at  Fort  Kla- 
math,  October  3,  1873. 

The  company  formed  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  the 
Pacific  Railroad  purchased  the  charter  of  an  organization  known 
as  the  Credit  Mobilier  of  America.  The  stock  was  increased  to 
three  million  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars ;  enormous 
dividends  were  declared,  and  the  shares  rapidly  rose  in  value. 
In  1872,  during  a  law-suit  tried  in  Pennsylvania,  the  startling  fact 
was  developed  that  several  members  of  Congress,  the  Vice-Presi 
dent  and  one  of  the  candidates  for  that  office  had  accepted,  even 
if  they  did  not  then  own,  stock  in  the  Credit  Mobilier.  The 
nation  was  greatly  scandalized  by  the  thought  of  its  official  ser- 


1875.]  GRANT'S    ADMINISTRATION.  619 

vants  being  thus  pecuniarily  interested  in  a  corporation  whose 
profits  were  so  largely  dependent  on  their  votes.  Subsequent 
investigation  disclosed  cases  of  corruption  which  shocked  the 
public  confidence. 

The  panics  of  1837  and  of  1857  were  repeated  in  1873.  As 
Jackson's  "  Specie  Circular  "  and  the  failure  of  the  "  Life  and 
Trust  Company "  of  Cincinnati  were,  in  the  former  instances, 
the  signals  for  a  financial  crash,  so  in  this,  the  failure  of  the 
banking-house  of  Jay  Cooke  and  Company,  Philadelphia,  began 
the  panic.  Money  took  the  alarm  and  fled  to  its  hiding-places. 
Innumerable  failures  ensued.  Confidence  was  destroyed.  Values 
shrank.  Great  railroad  enterprises  were  stopped.  The  causes 
of  the  crash  were  numerous.  Among  the  principal  ones  may  be 
recorded  :  an  excessive  importation  of  foreign  goods,  necessitating 
an  exportation  of  gold  and  silver  in  payment ;  the  building  of 
railroads  beyond  the  immediate  wants  of  the  country ;  the  grow 
ing  extravagance  of  the  people  ;  and  the  contraction  of  the  national 
currency  from  six  hundred  and  ninety-nine  million  dollars  in 
1865,  to  three  hundred  and  forty-seven  million  dollars  in  1873. 

The  idea  of  the  benefits  of  association  among  those  having 
a  similar  pursuit  was  unusually  prevalent  during  the  decade. 
Prominent  among  the  organizations  formed  on  this  basis  is  the 
one  known  as  the  Patrons  of  Industry.  The  first  grange  of  this 
order  was  located  at  Fredonia,  New  York,  April  16,  1868.  At  the 
recent  national  meeting  at  Charleston,  there  were  reported  to  be 
in  the  United  States  twenty-four  thousand  granges,  having  a 
membership  of  one  million  seven  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 
The  objects  of  the  order  are  various,  but  among  them  are  the 
following :  to  dispense  with  the  services  of  middlemen ;  to  bring 
producers  and  consumers,  farmers  and  manufacturers,  in  direct 
communication ;  to  buy  and  sell  together ;  to  elevate  the  social 
standing  of  the  farmer ;  and  to  improve  agriculture. 

March  3,  1875,  an  act  was  passed  admitting  Colorado,  the 
thirty-eighth  State.  Though  the  last  to  be  admitted  into  the 
Union,  its  territory  was  among  the  earliest  to  be  discovered, 
Vasquez  Coronado  having  led  a  Spanish  expedition  from  Mexico 
to  explore  it  in  1 540. 

The  latter  portion  of  the  decade  was  marked  by  the  death 
of  many  men  who  have  borne  a  distinguished  part  in  our  his 
tory.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the  most  prominent:  In  1869, 
Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War  under  President  Lincoln 


62O  THE    DECADE    OF    RECONSTRUCTION.  [1876. 

and  afterward  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  Franklin  Pierce, 
ex-President  of  the  United  States.  In  1870,  General  Robert  E. 
Lee,  General  George  H.  Thomas,  and  Admiral  Farragut.  In 
1872,  William  H.  Seward,  Horace  Greeley,  General  Meade,  and 
Professor  Morse.  In  1873,  Chief-Justice  Chase,  and  in  1874, 
Charles  Sumner.  In  1875,  John  C.  Breckenridge,  Vice-Presi 
dent  under  Buchanan ;  ex-President  Johnson,  and  Henry  Wilson, 
then  Vice-President.  The  century  closes  with  no  President  liv 
ing  except  its  present  incumbent,  and  no  Vice-Presidents  except 
Hannibal  Hamlin,  who  held  that  office  during  Lincoln's  first 
administration,  and  Schuyler  Colfax,  who  held  it  during  the  first 
administration  of  General  Grant. 

We  have  now  traced  the  story  of  our  Independence  to  the 
close  of  its  first  century.  Already,  as  we  have  reached  the  an 
niversary  of  the  stirring  events  which  preceded  the  Declaration 
in  1776,  there  have  been  imposing  observances.  The  popular 
pulse  has  beaten  with  the  fervor  of  patriotism  as  crowds  have 
gathered  to  celebrate  the  Boston  Tea  Party,  the  Mecklenburg 
Declaration,  and  the  battles  of  Lexington,  Concord  and  Bunker 
Hill.  Everywhere  there  has  been  manifested  a  desire  to  recog 
nize  the  kind  Providence  which  has  so  abundantly  prospered  the 
nation  ;  to  gather  the  rich  fruitage  from  the  experience  of  the 
past ;  to  draw  closer  the  bands  of  national  fellowship  ;  to  cherish 
the  recollections  of  the  fields  whereon  our  forefathers,  North  and 
South,  fought  side  by  side  to  achieve  a  common  Independence ; 
and  to  learn  from  the  conflicts  wherein  we,  their  sons,  have  met 
face  to  face,  lessons  of  mutual  respect  and  forbearance. 


CENTENNIAL    MEDAL  —  REVERSE. 


APPENDIX 


APPENDIX    I. 

THE    CEJfTEJVJfljiL    EXHIBITION. 


As  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  National  Birthday  approached, 
there  was  a  general  desire  expressed  to  celebrate  the  occasion  in  a  suitable 
manner.  As  early  as  1870,  the  plan  of  holding  an  International  Exposition 
at  Philadelphia,  where  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  adopted  and 
signed,  met  with  general  approval.  The  next  year,  Congress  passed  a  bill 
providing  for  a  Centennial  Exhibition  in  that  city  and  creating  a  commission 
of  two  persons  from  each  State  and  Territory  to  make  the  necessary  arrange 
ments  therefor.  To  secure  funds,  a  Board  of  Finance  was  formed,  author 
ized  to  issue  stock  to  the  amount  of  ten  million  dollars,  in  shares  of  ten 
dollars  each.  Hon.  Joseph  R.  Hawley  of  Connecticut  was  chosen  president 
of  the  commission,  and  measures  were  at  once  inaugurated  for  holding  the 
Exhibition  upon  a  scale  of  magnificence  never  before  seen  on  this  continent. 

President  Grant  was  requested,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States,  to 
invite  all  foreign  governments  to  participate  in  the  celebration  ;  forty  of 
them  accepted  and  chose  commissioners  to  be  present  upon  that  occasion. 
The  different  States  and  Territories  appointed  Advisory  State  Boards  ;  and 
large  sums  of  money  were  appropriated  by  the  municipal  authorities  of  Phil 
adelphia,  by  Congress,  and  by  various  State  and  city  governments. 

Fairmount  Park,  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill,  was  selected  as  the  site 
of  the  celebration,  and  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  acres  on  Lansdown 
Plateau,  lying  over  one  hundred  feet  above  tide-water,  were  enclosed  for 
the  purposes  of  the  Exhibition.  The  grounds  were  covered  with  stately 
trees,  thickets  of  brush,  and  wild-wood  flowers.  Wayward  foot-paths  wound 
hither  and  thither,  under  the  overhanging  boughs,  leading  to  shaded  seats, 
with  glimpses  of  river  and  city,  and  a  far-reaching  landscape.  This  scene  of 
sylvan  beauty  is  now  wonderfully  transformed.  The  skill  of  the  architect, 
the  civil  engineer,  the  landscape  gardener,  and  the  florist  have  here  com 
bined  to  fashion  a  place  which  shall  be  a  worthy  representation  of  American 
taste  and  industry.  Walks  and  drives  have  been  laid  out,  bridges  built, 
magnificent  structures  erected,  and  Nature  made  to  serve  the  purposes  and 
adorn  the  creations  of  Art. 

The  principal  edifices  are  the  Main  Exhibition  Building,  the  Art  Gal 
lery,  and  the  Machinery,  Horticultural  and  Agricultural  Halls. 

The  Main  Exhibition  Building  is  constructed  of  iron  and  glass.  It  is 
eighteen  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long  and  four  hundred  and  sixty-four  wide. 


624 


THE    CENTENNIAL    EXHIBITION. 


The  cornice  is  forty-five  and  the  ridge  seventy  feet  from  the  ground;  the 
central  pavilion  rising  to  a  height  of  ninety-six  and  the  towers  of  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  feet.  The  enclosed  area  exceeds  twenty  acres.  The  eye  of 
the  visitor  wanders  over  this  expanse,  bewildered  by  its  extent  and  the 
impossibility  of  grasping  its  vast  dimensions.  Through  the  centre  of  the 
building  runs  an  aisle  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide  and  over  one-third 
of  a  mile  long ;  this  is  flanked  by  two  others,  one  on  each  side,  one  hun 
dred  feet  in  width.  The  cross-walks  of  this  gigantic  structure  have  a  width 
of  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  feet,  and  the  narrowest  aisles  of  ten  feet. 

The  Memorial  Hall,  or  Art  Gallery,  is  a  permanent  edifice,  intended, 
after  the  Exhibition  closes,  for  the  reception  of  an  art  and  industrial  collec 
tion,  like  the  South  Kensington  Museum  in  London.  It  was  erected  by  the 
city  of  Philadelphia  and  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  at  an  expense  of  a  million 
and  a  half  of  dollars.  The  style  of  architecture  is  the  Modern  Renaissance. 
The  only  materials  used  are  granite,  iron  and  glass,  thus  rendering  the 
structure  fire-proof,  and  ensuring  the  preservation  of  the  treasures  of  art 
which  it  contains.  The  building  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  long, 
two  hundred  and  ten  feet  wide  and  fifty-nine  feet  high.  It  is  surmounted  by 
a  graceful  dome,  rising  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  and  terminating  in  a 
colossal  ball,  which  supports  a  figure  of  Columbia  standing  with  outstretched 
hands,  as  if  protecting  all.  In  front  are  three  huge  doorways,  each  forty  feet 
high  and  fifteen  feet  wide.  The  doors  are  of  iron,  with  bronze  panels,  con 
taining  the  coats-of-arms  of  all  the  States  and  Territories.  On  either  side  of 
the  main  entrance,  reaching  to  the  pavilions  at  the  corners  of  the  building, 
are  highly-decorated  arcades,  with  promenades  looking  outward  on  the  Exhi 
bition  grounds  and  inward  upon  beautiful  gardens  ornamented  with  fountains 
and  statuary.  From  the  main  entrance  a  broad  hall  leads  to  the  centre 
grand  hall,  from  which  extend  the  galleries.  Together  they  are  capable  of 
holding  eight  thousand  persons,  and  they  furnish  seventy-five  thousand 


APPENDIX    I. 


625 


square  feet  of  wall-space  for  the  display  of  paintings.  The  application  for 
room  in  the  Memorial  Hall  so  greatly  exceeded  its  capacity  that  an  annex 
was  built  in  the  rear,  which  affords  sixty  thousand  additional  square  feet  of 
wall-space. 

The  Machinery  Hall  being  located  on  the  same  line  with  the  Main  Exhi 
bition  Building,  is  practically  a  continuation  of  that  immense  structure.  A 
walk  through  both  from  end  to  end  would  be  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
long.  This  building  consists  of  a  main  hall  and  an  annex,  together  covering 
an  area  of  about  thirteen  acres.  A  steam-engine  of  fourteen  hundred  horse 
power  drives  the  shafting  and  belts,  which  reach  to  every  avenue  and  aisle, 
and  so  run  the  immense  number  of  machines  which  are  exhibited  over  this 
vast  area.  A  large  tank,  constantly  supplied  with  water  pumped  up  from  the 
river,  serves  to  operate  all  sorts  of  hydraulic  machines,  and  the  overflow 
forms  a  waterfall  thirty-five  feet  high  and  forty  feet  wide. 

The  Horticultural  Hall  was  erected  by  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  will 
remain  as  a  permanent  ornament  of  the  park.  It  is  approached  on  either 
side  by  ornamental  bridges,  which  span  romantic  ravines  extending  to  the 
river.  The  length  of  the  building  is  three  hundred  and  eighty-three  feet ; 
width,  one  hundred  and  ninety-three  feet ;  and  height,  seventy-two  feet. 
The  style  of  architecture  is  the  Moresque  of  the  twelfth  century.  Both 
entrances  are  very  attractive,  being  by  flights  of  blue  marble  steps  leading 
up  from  terraces,  at  the  centre  of  each  of  which  stands  an  open  kiosque  or 
summer-house  twenty  feet  in  diameter.  The  centre  of  the  building  is  occu 
pied  by  a  conservatory,  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  by  eighty  feet.  A  gal 
lery  five  feet  wide  and  twenty  feet  from  the  ground  extends  entirely  around, 
and  affords  a  fine  view  of  the  interior.  Off  from  the  conservatory  are  four 
forcing-rooms,  each  one  hundred  feet  by  thirty  feet,  noticeable  in  the  picture 
for  their  curved  roofs  of  iron  and  glass.  From  the  vestibules  ornamental 
stairways  lead  to  the  internal  galleries  of  the  conservatory,  to  the  external 


626 


THE    CENTENNIAL    EXHIBITION. 


galleries  which  overlook  the  forcing-rooms,  and  to  a  grand  promenade  formed 
by  the  flat  roofs  of  the  vestibules.  Thirty-five  acres  of  ground  surrounding 
the  building  are  devoted  to  horticultural  purposes. 

The  Agricultural  Hall  presents  upon  the  outside  a  novel  appearance. 
The  interior  resembles  that  of  a  grand  Gothic  cathedral.  The  central  nave 
is  eight  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  wide, 
and  seventy-five  feet  high.  It  is  crossed  by  three  transepts,  the  central  one 
being  one  hundred  feet,  and  the  end  ones  each  eighty  feet  in  width.  The 
entire  area  is  over  ten  acres. 

Outside  of  the  Exhibition  enclosure  are  a  yard  of  twenty-two  acres  appro 
priated  to  the  display  of  live-stock,  and  two  farms  of  fifty  acres  each,  which 
have  been  sown  with  reference  to  a  trial  of  agricultural  implements. 

In  addition  to  the  principal  structures  already  named,  there  are  nearly 
two  hundred  smaller  buildings  artistically  scattered  through  the  Exhibition 
grounds.  These  were  erected  by  various  nations,  by  States  and  by  different 
industries  and  interests,  as  the  headquarters  of  their  representatives.  Among 
the  most  noticeable  of  these  buildings  are  the  elegant  Women's  Pavilion,  for 
the  exhibition  of  the  work  of  women  of  all  nations  ;  the  Jury  Pavilion, 
appropriated  to  the  deliberations  of  the  International  Juries  ;  the  Judges' 
Building;  the  Halls  for  the  use  of  the  Centennial  Boards  of  the  various 
States ;  and  the  Japanese  Dwelling-House  and  Bazaar,  all  the  materials  for 
which  were  prepared  in  Japan,  shipped  to  this  country,  and  put  together  by 
native  workmen. 

The  general  arrangements  for  the  Exhibition  are  of  the  most  ample  char 
acter.  There  are  six  large  restaurants  on  the  grounds,  besides  two  or  more 
buffets  in  each  of  the  principal  buildings.  Seven  miles  of  substantial  roads 
and  walks  lead  to  the  principal  points  of  interest.  The  system  of  drainage 
is  complete,  there  being  two  miles  of  pipes  underlying  the  Main  Exhibition 
Building  alone.  A  reservoir  containing  forty  million  gallons  of  water  is 


APPENDIX    I.  627 

close  at  hand,  while  special  pumping-engines  can  raise  from  the  river  six 
million  gallons  daily.  The  railroad  tracks  are  laid  within  the  enclosure,  and 
heavy  machines  are  thus  carried  directly  into  the  broad  aisles  of  the  building 
assigned  for  their  display ;  while  facilities  are  afforded  at  various  platforms 
scattered  at  convenient  points  over  the  grounds,  for  unloading  sixty  cars  at 
once. 

The  several  railroads,  with  trains  capable  of  carrying  twenty-four  thou 
sand  passengers  per  hour,  seven  different  lines  of  street  cars  running  on 
"  one-minute  time,"  besides  numerous  omnibuses  and  transfer  coaches,  con 
vey  visitors  to  and  fro  between  Philadelphia  and  the  Exhibition.  For  the 
accommodation  of  travelers,  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  and  the  Pennsyl 
vania  Railroad  Companies  have  erected  commodious  stations  near  the 
grounds.  The  depot  of  the  latter  is  close  to  the  main  entrance.  Three 
tracks  are  here  laid  in  a  circle  one  thousand  feet  in  diameter  for  the  trains 
arriving  from  the  East,  West  and  South  respectively.  The  trains  stop  so  as 
not  to  overlap,  and  discharge  and  receive  passengers  upon  long,  covered  plat 
forms.  There  are  thirteen  entrances  to  the  Exhibition  grounds,  at  each  of 
which  the  visitors  pass  through  self-registering  turn-stiles. 

In  order  to  afford  a  fitting  and  permanent  memorial  of  this  national  anni 
versary,  by  special  act  of  Congress  a  Centennial  Medal  has  been  struck  at 
the  Mint  in  Philadelphia.  The  "  obverse  "  of  this  beautiful  work  of  art 
represents  the  Genius  of  Independence  rising  from  a  recumbent  position, 
with  her  right  hand  grasping  the  sword  which  is  to  enforce  her  demands,  and 
with  her  left  pointing  to  the  thirteen  stars  which  are  blazing  in  the  sky  above 
her  head  ;  beneath  is  the  date,  1776.  The  "  reverse  "  exhibits  the  Genius  of 
Liberty,  an  ornamental  sword  hanging  from  her  girdle  and  a  shield  decorated 
with  the  Stars  and  Stripes  leaning  at  her  side,  while  with  outstretched  hands 
she  crowns  with  chaplets  the  figures  of  Art  and  Science,  around  wrhom  are 
grouped  the  evidences  of  their  skill  and  workmanship ;  underneath  is  the 
date,  1876. 


CENTENNIAL    MEDAL  —  OBVERSE. 


APPENDIX    II. 

THE  SOUTHERN  WOMEN. 

[This  page  was  prepared  by  Mrs.  Dr.  W.  F.  Westmoreland,  President  of  the  Sanitary  Commission, 
Atlanta,  and  Chairman  of  the  Georgia  Centennial  Association.] 

To  say  that  the  women  of  the  South  acted  with  Spartan  courage  during 
the  war  is  scarcely  saying  enough,  for  they  not  only  encouraged  their  hus 
bands  and  sons  to  go  into  the  army,  but,  in  addition  to  this  self-sacrifice, 
submitted  without  a  murmur  to  every  conceivable  deprivation.  In  the  States 
where  the  most  active  incidents  of  the  war  took  place,  Soldiers'  Relief  Socie 
ties  and  Hospital  Associations  were  duly  organized,  and  every  attention  that 
interest,  affection  or  patriotism  could  suggest,  was  lavished  by  the  members 
upon  the  sick,  the  wounded,  and  the  dying.  These  societies  were  likewise 
subdivided  into  committees,  whose  duty  it  was  to  minister  to  the  inmates  of 
the  hospitals,  as  well  as  to  have  refreshments  ready  for  the  sick  and  wounded 
upon  the  arrival  of  the  various  trains  from  the  different  battle-fields.  By  day 
and  by  night,  in  heat  and  in  cold,  these  faithful  sisters  of  mercy  were  always 
at  their  post.  Neither  were  the  prisoners  ignored  on  these  occasions,  but, 
actuated  by  the  highest  motives,  some  few  noble  women,  substituting  human 
ity  for  prejudice,  ministered  alike  to  friend  and  foe.  Though  the  number 
was  small,  be  this  recorded  to  their  honor.  In  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and 
for  at  least  a  year  afterward,  supplies  continued  to  be  plentiful,  and  Southern 
hospitality  was  lavished  with  that  extravagance  for  which  the  section  was 
proverbial.  But  after  this,  when  the  whole  country  was  overrun  and  the 
blockade  became  more  stringent,  the  few  luxuries  that  could  be  obtained 
were  hoarded  by  the  women  for  those  brave  men  who  cheerfully  gave  their 
lives  for  their  country. 

Thus,  willingly  did  these  heroic  women  drink  concoctions  of  okra,  rye, 
chestnuts  and  ground-nuts,  while  saving  the  genuine  coffee  for  the  boys  who 
wore  the  gray.  Thus,  without  a  murmur,  did  these  women  turn  their  cloth 
ing  into  lint  and  bandages,  while  many  a  wedding-dress  was  converted  into 
flags,  and  "  somebody's  darling  "  was  cared  for  by  the  sacrifice  of  some  heir 
loom  or  bridal  gift  in  the  way  of  jewelry.  And  so,-  hoping  against  hope,  and 
apparently  expecting  deliverance  by  a  miracle,  the  end  came,  before  the 
women  of  the  South  realized  its  fatal  approach. 

But  their  heroism  was  not  to  end  here,  for  when  the  truth  could  no 
longer  be  withheld,  and  the  men,  broken  in  health  and  spirit,  returned  to 
their  desolate  homes  to  mourn  over  defeat  and  ruin,  these  gentle,  delicate 
women,  who  had  been  reared  in  luxury  and  who  had  never  known  a  hard 
ship,  took  up  the  broken  thread  of  life,  and  not  only  became  the  support  of 
the  family,  but  the  stay  and  comfort  of  their  despairing  husbands.  Surely 
God's  blessing  will  rest  upon  these  women,  who,  in  the  words  of  Lee,  can 
"  be  as  great  in  misfortune  as  in  prosperity." 


APPENDIX    III. 

AMERICAN  SCHOOL=<BOOKS. 

In  nothing  is  our  present  advance  more  apparent  than  in  the  variety 
of  our  school-books.  The  one  standard  text-book  for  our  fathers  and 
mothers  in  their  childhood  was  the  New  England  Primer.  "  Little  as  was 
this  sixpenny  book,"  says  Watson,  "  it  was  a  formidable  concern  to  publish 
it.  Its  extensive  sale  could  alone  sustain  it  as  an  undertaking  intended  to 
compete  with  the  imported  copies."  Our  gray-headed  citizens  will  remem 
ber  how,  after  having  passed  the  "  ba,  be,  bi,  bo,  bu,"  they  plodded  on  to  the 
alphabetical  pictures,  where  each  letter  was  enriched  with  a  choice  rhyme,  as, 

A.  In  Adam's  fall, We  sinned  all. 

B.  Thy  life  to  mend, This  Book  attend. 

C.  The  Cat  doth  play,       ....     And  after  slay. 

And  so  on,  the  sentiments  comprising  ethics,  natural,  biblical  and  secular 
history,  and  various  moral  reflections.  We  can  imagine  the  sturdiness  with 
which  the  young  voices  proclaimed  that 

K.    Britain's  King  in  spleen       .     .     Lost  States  thirteen ; 
and  the  awe  with  which  they  spelled  out, 

Y.    Youth  forward  slips,    ....     Death  soonest  nips  ; 

having  one  eye  stealthily  fixed  on  the  picture,  with  its  grim  skeleton  running 
in  hot  haste  after  a  poor,  fated  boy.  And  then  there  was  the  awful  picture 
and  account  of  John  Rogers  at  the  stake,  having  taken  leave  of  his  wife 
with  "  nine  small  children  and  one  at  the  breast,"  by  which  many  a  little 
heart  was  thrilled  and  solemnized.  Moral  precepts  abounded,  and  it  was 
enjoined  that 

Good  children  must 

Fear  God  all  day,  Love  Christ  alway, 

Parents  obey,  In  secret  pray, 

No  false  thing  say,  Mind  little  play, 

By  no  sin  stray,  Make  no  delay, 

In  doing  good. 

Occasionally  there  was  a  slight  relaxation  in  style,  as  thus  : 

"  Billy,  what  do  you  think  the  world  stands  on  ?  "     "I  don't  know,"  says  Harry  ; 
"  but  our  Tom  says  it  stands  on  a  great  turtle." 

This  little  book  was  stereotyped  in  1824,  and  was  long  without  a  rival. 


APPENDIX    IV. 

OF  GEJ^E^AL  LEE. 


General  Lee,  after  the  Gettysburg  defeat  and  the  retirement  of  his  army 
back  of  the  Rapidan,  conscious  that  his  Pennsylvania  campaign  had  been  a 
failure  and  that  the  South  wa^  grievously  disappointed,  sent  the  following 
letter  to  the  President  of  the  Confederacy.  This  letter  has  but  recently  been 
made  public,  too  late  for  use  in  its  proper  place  in  the  narrative  of  the  Penn 
sylvania  campaign  of  1863,  and  it  is  therefore  given  here  verbatim  : 

"  CAMP  ORANGE,  8  Aug.,  1863. 

"  MR.  PRESIDENT  :  Your  letters  of  28  July  and  2  Aug.  have  been  rec'd, 
and  I  have  waited  for  a  leisure  hour  to  reply,  but  I  fear  that  will  never  come. 
I  am  extremely  obliged  to  you  for  the  attention  given  to  the  wants  of  this 
army  and  the  efforts  made  to  supply  them.  Our  absentees  are  returning, 
and  I  hope  the  earnest  and  beautiful  appeal  made  to  the  country  in  your 
proclamation  may  stir  up  the  whole  people,  and  that  they  may  see  their  duty 
and  perform  it.  Nothing  is  wanted  but  that  their  fortitude  should  equal  their 
bravery  to  insure  the  success  of  our  cause.  We  must  expect  reverses,  even 
defeats.  They  are  sent  to  teach  us  wisdom  and  prudence,  to  call  forth 
greater  energies,  and  to  prevent  our  falling  into  greater  disasters.  Our  peo 
ple  have  only  to  be  true  and  united,  to  bear  manfully  the  misfortunes  inci 
dent  to  war,  and  all  will  come  right  in  the  end. 

"  I  know  how  prone  we  are  to  censure  and  how  ready  to  blame  others  for 
the  nonfulfillment  of  our  expectations.  This  is  unbecoming  in  a  generous 
people,  and  I  grieve  to  see  its  expression.  The  general  remedy  for  the  want 
of  success  in  a  military  commander  is  his  removal.  This  is  natural,  and  in 
many  instances  proper.  For,  no  matter  what  may  be  the  ability  of  the 
officer,  if  he  loses  the  confidence  of  his  troops,  disaster  must  sooner  or  later 
ensue. 

"  I  have  been  prompted  by  these-  reflections  more  than  once  since  my 
return  from  Penna.  to  propose  to  your  Exc'y  the  propriety  of  selecting 
another  commander  for  this  army.  I  have  seen  and  heard  of  expressions  of 
discontent  in  the  public  journals  at  the  result  of  the  expedition.  I  do  not 
know  how  far  this  feeling  extends  in  the  army.  My  brother  officers  have 
been  too  kind  to  report  it,  and  so  far  the  troops  have  been  too  generous  to 
exhibit  it.  It  is  fair,  however,  to  suppose  that  it  does  exist,  and  success  is 
so  necessary  to  us  that  nothing  should  be  risked  to  secure  it.  I  therefore,  in 
all  sincerity,  request  your  Exc'y  to  take  measures  to  supply  my  place.  I  do 
this  with  the  more  earnestness  because  no  one  is  more  aware  than  myself  of 
my  inability  for  the  duties  of  my  position.  I  cannot  even  accomplish  what 


RESIGNATION    OF    GENERAL    LEE.  631 

I  myself  desire.  How  can  I  fulfil  the  expectations  of  others  ?  In  addition, 
I  sensibly  feel  the  growing  failure  of  my  bodily  strength.  I  have  not  yet 
recovered  from  the  attack  I  experienced  the  past  spring.  I  am  becoming 
more  and  more  incapable  of  exertion,  and  am  thus  prevented  from  making 
the  personal  examinations  and  giving  the  personal  supervision  to  the  opera 
tions  in  the  field  which  I  feel  to  be  necessary.  I  am  so  dull  that  in  making 
use  of  the  eyes  of  others  I  am  frequently  misled.  Everything,  therefore, 
points  to  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  a  new  commander,  and  I  the 
more  anxiously  urge  the  matter  upon  your  Exc'y  from  my  belief  that  a 
younger  and  abler  man  than  myself  can  readily  be  obtained.  I  know  that 
he  will  have  as  gallant  and  brave  an  army  as  ever  existed  to  second  his 
efforts,  and  it  would  be  the  happiest  day  of  my  life  to  see  at  its  head  a 
worthy  leader ;  one  that  would  accomplish  more  than  I  could  perform,  and 
all  that  I  have  wished.  I  hope  your  Exc'y  will  attribute  my  request  to  the 
true  reason,  the  desire  to  serve  my  country  and  do  all  in  my  power  to  insure 
the  success  of  her  righteous  cause. 

"  I  have  no  complaints  to  make  of  any  but  myself.  I  have  received 
nothing  but  kindness  from  'those  above  me  and  the  most  considerate  atten 
tion  from  my  comrades  and  companions  in  arms.  To  your  Excellency  I  am 
specially  indebted  for  uniform  kindness  and  consideration.  You  have  done 
everything  in  your  power  to  aid  me  in  the  work  committed  to  my  charge, 
without  omitting  anything  to  promote  the  general  welfare.  I  pray  that  your 
efforts  may  at  length  be  crowned  with  success,  and  that  you  may  long  live  to 
enjoy  the  thanks  of  a  grateful  people. 

"  With  sentiments  of  great  esteem,  I  am  very  respectfully  and  truly 
yours,  R.  E.  LEE,  General" 

Davis  refused  to  accept  the  resignation,  well  knowing  that  he  could  not 
fill  the  place  of  his  chief  general,  and  that  no  one  else  possessed  so  fully  the 
confidence  of  the  army,  and  the  people  of  the  South. 


£HRONOLOQICA;L   JABLE   OF  THE 


177S. 


South    Carolina    organizes    a 

provincial  congress. 
Local  congress  assembles  in 

Georgia. 


Fairfax  County  Committee 
recommends  the  people  to 
raise  companies  of  troops. 


Chatham,  in  the  House  of 
Lords,  advises  recall  of 
troops  from  Boston. 


Petition  from  C9ntinental  Con 
gress  to  the  king,  laid  before 
Parliament. 


1776. 


1777. 


Norfolk  burned  by  the  British.    Robert  Morris  borrows  money 
in  Philadelphia. 

Washington      retreats      from 

Trenton  to  Princeton. 
Battle  of  Princeton. 


New  Hampshire  provincial  Washington  reaches  Morris- 
congress  becomes  House  j  town  ;  Hackensack  and 
of  Representatives.  Newark  abandoned  ;  Spring 

field  and  Elizabethtown  sur- 


News  of  the  burning  of  Nor 
folk  reaches  Congress. 


Paine's     "  Common 
reaches  Congress. 


Sense 


Governor  Franklin  of  New 
Jersey  made  a  prisoner  in 
his  own  house. 


prised. 


Dr.  Shippen  appointed  head  of 
medical  department. 


Maryland  delegates  instruct-    General  Mercer  dies, 
ed  not  to  vote  for  Indepen-  i 
dence,   without    consent    of 
the  convention. 


American  Commissioners  at 
Paris  send  to  Frederick  of 
Prussia  copy  of  Declaration 
of  Independence. 

Vermont  organizes  as  a  State. 


Lee  at  New  Haven. 


Sir  James  Wright  taken  pri- 


Half  a  million  livres  paid  to 
the  banker  of  the  American 
Commissioners  in  Paris. 


General  Howe  invested  with 
the  Order  of  the  Bath. 


Johnson's  Highlanders  near  j  Dickinson  defeats  a  foraging 
Johnstown  surrender  to  I  party  near  Somerset  Court- 
Schuyler.  House. 


Lee  at  Stamford  ;  Lord  Stirling 
captures  British  transports 
off  Sandy  Hook. 


Washington  issues  a  procla 
mation  in  N.  Jersey  ;  Whigs 
attack  a  Tory  block-house  m 
West  Farms. 


632 


Of     THE 


1778. 


1779. 


178O. 


1781. 


Arnold  leaves  Philadel 
phia  tor  Albany. 


Clark  receives  his  in 
structions. 

Clark  leaves  Williams- 
burg. 

Washington  asks  Con 
gress  for  supplies ; 
Battle  of  the  Kegs. 


Sunbury,  Georgia,  sur 
rendered  to  General 
Prevost. 


Lafayette  sails  for  Fr'nce. 


Congress  resolves  not  to 
make  peace  without 
consent  of  France. 


Stirling  tries  to  surprise 
a  British  post  on  Staten 
Island. 


Captain    Lee    surprised 
near  Valley  Forge. 


Clark's  boats  pass  Falls 
of  Ohio. 


New  Providence  taken. 


Lincoln  writes  to  Wash 
ington  for  orders. 


Academy     at     Newark 
burned. 


Verdict  rendered  in  Ar 
nold's  trial. 


British  take  Augusta. 


Revolt    at  Momstown  ; 
Cornwallis  moves  n'rth 
from  Winnsborough. 
Arnold  appears  in  James 

River. 
News     of    the    mutiny 

reaches  Washington. 
Arnold  proceeds  tap  Jas. 

River ;  Goy.  Jefferson 

calls  out  militia. 
Richmond     burned    by 

Arnold. 


Washington  writes  ur 
gent  Tetters  to  New 
England  States. 

Simcoe  attacks  Charles 
Court-House. 


British  emissaries  hang 
ed  as  spies. 


Morgan      encamps      at 

Burr's  Mills. 
Morgan  retreats  before 

Tarleton. 

Battle  of  the  Cowpens. 


Cornwallis     joined     by 

Leslie. 
N.  Jersey  troops  mutiny. 


Cornwallis  at  Ramsour's 
Mills. 


Howe  reaches  Pompton, 

New  Jersey. 
Flood  in  the  Catawba. 


Greene    assumes    com 
mand  of  Morgan's  men. 


633 


^HFjONOLOQiCAL     ^ABLE    Of    THE 


1773. 


1776. 


1777. 


Massachusetts  provincial  con 
gress  meets  at  Cambridge. 


Lord  North  offers  a  bill  to  cut 
off  New  England  trade  ex 
cept  with  Great  Britain. 


Lord     Cavendish    deprecates 

civil  war. 
Address  to  the  king  declares  a 

rebellion  in  Massachusetts. 


Address  to  the  king  recom 
mends  declaration  of  war. 

Lord  North  asks  the  House  of 
Commons  for  an  increase  of 
the  British  army. 


Franklin,     by     appointment, 
meets  Lord  Howe. 


Lord  North  proposes  in  House 
of  Commons  plan  of  concili 
ation. 


Motion  lost  in  New  York  as 
sembly  to  send  delegates  to 
Continental  Congress. 


Cargo  of  ''Charming  Sally" 
thrown  into  Hog  Island 
Creek,  S.  C. 

British  go  to  Salem  from  Bos 
ton  to  seize  cannon. 


Lee  enters  New  York  ;  Clin 
ton  arrives  there  on  a  visit 
to  his  "friend  Tryon." 


South  Carolina  convention 
thanks  Rutledge  and  Mid- 
dleton  for  services  in  Con 
gress. 

John  Adams  resumes  seat  in 
Congress ;  Gadsden  presents 
standard  tor  Amer.  navy. 


Gov.  Wright  made  a  prisoner 
in  his  own  house. 


McDonald  marches  toward 
Wilmington ;  Moore  takes 
the  field  at  Rockfish. 


Schuyler  writes  to  Congress. 
Poor  commissioned  brigadier ; 
Georgia  frames  constitution. 


Stirling,  St.  Clair,  Lincoln, 
Mifflin,  and  Stephen  com 
missioned  major-generals. 


Congress  authorizes   thirteen 
million  dolls,  loan  certificates. 


Congress    votes   Washington 
"ideal  reinforcements. 


Washington  issues  general  or 
ders  to  his  army. 
Battle  of  Moore's  Creek. 


634 


OF    THE 


1778. 


1779. 


1780. 


1781. 


Baron  Steuben  welcom 
ed  at  Valley  Forge. 

France  acknowledges 
Amer.  independence. 


Committee  report  desti 
tution  at  Val.  Forge. 


Troops   from   Pittsburg 
arrive  at  Natchez. 

United  States  flag  hoist 
ed  at  Natchez. 


Moultrie  defeats  British 
on  Port  Royal  Island. 


Clark    commences     his 
march  to  Vincennes. 


Arnold  issues  an  address 
to  the  public. 


Pickens  defeats  Tories  at 

Kettle  Creek. 
Fear  of    Spain    joining 

England. 
Congress  refers  Arnold's 

appeal  to  a  committee. 
Congress  refers  terms  of 

peace  to  committee. 


Clark  attacks  Vincen 
nes. 

Hamilton  and  his  garri 
son  surrender. 

Congress  directs  Wash 
ington  to  chastise  the 
Senecas. 


British    troops   land    at 
Elizabethtown  Point. 


Young's  house,  near 
White  Plains,  sur 
prised. 

Skirmish  near  Four  Cor 
ners,  Westchester. 


Congress  calls  for  thirty- 
five  thousand  men. 


Cornwallis  crosses  the 
Catawba ;  Battle  of 
McGowan's  Ford. 


Greene  crosses  the  Yad- 
kin. 


Cornwallis    crosses    the 
Yadkin. 


Cornw'lis  encarr  ps  near 
Salem. 


Clinton  reaches  North 
Edisto  Sound. 

Clinton  lands  on  St. 
John's  Island. 

Congress  confirms  Ar 
nold's  sentence. 


Congress  calls  upon  the 
States  for  supplies. 


Pennsylvania        adopts 
emancipation  law. 


Greene  crosses  the  Dan. 


Cornwallis  reaches    the 
Dan. 


Cornwallis  retreats. 


Cornwallis     takes    post 
at  Hillsborough. 


Greene     recrosses     the 
Dan. 


Lee  routs  Tories  at  Haw 
River. 

Cornwallis  abandons 
Hillsborough. 

Cornwallis  crosses  the 
Haw. 

jalvez,  Gov.  of  Louis 
iana,  sails  from  N.  O. 
to  attack  Pensacola. 


635 


YABLE   OF   THE 


177S. 


1776. 


1777. 


Anniversary  of  Boston  mas- 
sacr<» 


Riot    at    Westminster;     two 
Green  Mount'n  Boys  killed. 


Delaware  assembly  send  dele 
gates  to  Continental  Cong. 


Va.  convention  send  delegates 
to  Continental  Congress. 

Bill    passed     depriving    New 
England  of  fisheries. 


Lee  takes  command  of  Conti 
nental  forces  south  of  Poto 
mac. 

Moultrie  takes  command  at 
Sullivan's  Island. 

Washington  bombards  Boston. 

Washington  occupies  Dorches 
ter  Heights. 


Lee  sets  out  for  the  South. 


Washington  places  battery  oil 
Dorchester  Neck. 


Washingt'n  throws  up  a  breast 
work  on  Nook's  Hill. 
Boston  evacuated. 

Washington  orders  five  regi 
ments  to  New  York. 


Main   body  of   Washington's 
army  enters  Boston. 


Continental  Congress  declares 
British  vessels  lawful  prizes. 

South  Carolina  resolves  itself 
into  an  assembly. 

Continental  Congress  learns  of 
evacuation  of  Boston. 

South  Carolina  forms  a  pro 
vincial  constitution. 

Washington  at  the  evening 
lecture-  Rutledge,  pres.  of 
South  Carolina  congress. 

Thanksgiving  sermon  preach'd 
at  Boston. 


Congress  returns  to  Philadel 
phia. 


Convent'n  at  Kingston,  N.  Y., 
reports  draft  of  Constitution. 


Gen.  Lee  sends  to  Congress 
requesting  interview. 


British  destroy  stores  at  Peek- 
skill. 


Convention  for  Middle  States 
fix  scale  of  prices. 


Lee's  letter  received  at  Phila 
delphia. 

Congress  resolves  to  hold  no 
communication  with  Lee. 


636 


Of    THE     f^EVOLUTIOJM. 


1778. 


1779. 


1780. 


1781. 


Greene  elected  quarter 
master-general. 


Prevost  defeats  Ashe  in 
South  Carolina. 


Council  of  Indians  meet 
at  Johnstown. 


Maryl'nd  ratifies  Articles 
of  Confederation. 


Lafayette  reaches  Head 
of  Elk. 


Cornwallis  crosses  Ala- 
mance  Creek  ;  Wash 
ington  at  Newport. 

French  fleet  leave  New 
port  for  Virginia. 


Clinton         approaches 
Charleston. 


Affair  of  Quintan's  Br'ge. 

South  Carolina  constitu 
tion  adopted. 

M'Dougal  takes  com'nd 
at  West  Point. 


Arnold  resigns  his  com 
mission. 


Greene  encamps  at  Gun- 
ford  Court-House ;  La- 
layette  at  York. 

Battle  of  Guilford  Court- 
House. 

French-Eng.  engagem't 
off  Chesapeake. 


Cornwallis  retreats  from 
Guilford  Court-House. 


British  fleet  under  Ad-  Washingt'n  ret'rns  from 
miral  Arbuthnot  pass  Newp  t  to  New  Wind- 
Charleston  bar. 


Defeat    of    Putnam    at 

Greenwich. 
Tryon    reaches    King's 

Bridge. 


Wilkinson  writes  to 
Washington  of  Con- 
way  matter. 


Clinton  reaches  Amer 
works  on  Charleston 
Neck. 


Gen.  Phillips  at  Ports 
mouth,  Va. 


Greene  arrives  at  Ram 
sey's  Mills. 


Greene    discharges    his 
militia  at  Deep  River. 


637 


fABLE    Of1    THE 


1775. 


1776. 


1777. 


Daniel    Boone  builds  fort  at 
Boonesborough,  Ky. 


Provincial  congress  meets  in 
North  Carolina. 


Green  Mpunt'n  Boys  renounce 
authority  of  New  York. 


Gage  ordered  to  take  posses 
sion  of  colonial  forts. 


Gage  sends  British  to  destroy 
stores  at  Concord. 

Battles  of  Lexington  and  Con 
cord. 

General  Ward  takes  command 
of  troops  around  Boston. 

Dunmore  orders  powder  plac'd 
on  board  a  vessel. 

Massachusetts  congress  votes 
to  raise  an  army. 

News  of  battle  of  Lexington 
reaches  New  York. 

Maryland  assembly  appoints 
delegates  to  Con.  Congress. 

Rhode  Island  assembly  votes 
fifteen  hundred  men. 

Connecticut  assembly  votes 
six  thousand  men. 


Lord  Mayor  of  London  pre 
sents  a  remonstrance  ag  inst 
u  oppression  of  their  fellow- 
subjects  in  colonies." 


Wooster    takes    command    of 
troops  around  Quebec. 


N.  C.  congress  meets  ;  Wash 
ington  leaves  Cambridge 
for  New  York. 

Lee  at  Williamsburg,  Va. 


N.  C.  congress  appoints  Com 
mittee  on  British  Injuries. 


Governor's  Island  fortified. 


North  Carolina  congress  de 
clares  for  Independence. 
Washington  arrives  at  N.  Y. 


British  ships-of-war  anchor  at 
Newport. 


Washington    prohibits   inter 
course  with  British  ships. 


Congress  votes  monument  to 
General  Warren. 


Cornwallis    tries   to    surprise 
Lincoln  at  Boundbrook. 


Congress  appoints  committee 
of  inquiry  into  Schuyler's 
conduct. 


New  York  convention   com 
pletes  its  constitution. 


Tryon  sails  from  New  York  to 
Danbury,  Conn. 


Tryon  lands  at  Compo. 

Lafayette  embarks  for  Amer 
ica  j  British  destroy  stores 
at  Danbury. 

Arnold  at  Ridgefield. 

British  sail  from  Compo. 


638 


•\Yy\R    Of    THE     DEVOLUTION. 


1778. 


1779. 


178O. 


1781. 


Lord  Chath'm,  in  Parlia 
ment,  falls  in  a  fainting 
fit  while  protesting  agt. 
the  dismemberment  of 
the  empire. 


Washington  declares  for 
Independence. 


Congress  offers  pardon 
to  all  who  return  to 
allegiance  by  June  16. 


Reinforcem'ts  for  Wilk's- 
barre,  under  Mai.  Pow 
ell,  fall  into  Indian  am 
buscade. 


Seven   hundred  Virgin 
ians  reach  Charleston. 


Arbuthnot    anchors    off 

Charleston. 
Charleston      summoned 

to  surrender. 


Lincoln  calls  council  of 

war. 
Tarleton  defeats  Huger 

at  Monk's  Corner. 


Greene  sets  out  for  Cam- 
den. 


Cornwallis  reaches  Wil 
mington  ;  Greene 
marches  from  Deep 
River. 


Cornwallis  arr.  at  Cha's- 
ton  with  reinforcem'ts. 


Lafayette  arr.  at  Boston 
from  France. 


Lee  joins  Marion. 


General  Phillips  sails  up 
James  River. 


Greene  encamps  at  Cam- 
den. 


Fort  Watson  surrenders 
to  Lee  and  Marion. 

Greene  takes  position  on 
Hobkirk's  Hill. 

Cornwallis  leaves  Pet'rs- 
burg. 

Wright's  Bluff  capitu 
lates. 


Battle  of  Hobkirk's  Hill. 

Lafayette  arr.  at  Rich 
mond. 


639 


£HROJVIOJLOQIC>L  TABLE  op  THE 


1773. 


1776. 


1777. 


New  Jersey  committee   calls 

provincial  congress. 
Dunmore    convenes    Virginia 

council;    sends    family    on 

board  ship. 


hinmore  issues  proc 
against  Patrick  Hen 


enry. 


Ticonderoga  taken ;  Conti 
nental  Congress  assemble  at 
Philadelphia. 

Powder  taken  from  king's 
magazine  at  Savannah. 

Crown  Point  taken. 


New  York  instructed  not  to 
oppose  landing  of  British 
troops. 

Arnold  captures  St.  John's. 

New  Hampshire  proy.  con 
gress  votes  three  regiments. 

Arnold  captures  British  sloop 
at  St.  John's. 


Citizens  of  Mecklenburg  Co. 
frame  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence. 

British  try  to  get  hay  on  Grape 
Island,  in  Boston  harbor. 

New  York  provincial  congress 
assembles. 

Provincial  congress  organized 

in  New  Jersey. 
Hancock  appointed  president 

of  Continental  Congress. 
Howe,  Clinton,  and  Burgoyne 

arrive  at  Boston. 

Americans  drive  stock  from 
Noddle's  Island  (E.  Boston). 


Congress  addresses  the  Cana 
dians. 

Address  to  Great  Britain  pub 
lished  in  London. 


Thomas  arrives  at  Quebec. 


Parker  and  Cornwallis  enter 
Cape  Fear  River. 

Rhode  Island  assembly  throw 
off  royal  government. 


The  Howes  authorized  to  grant 
pardons. 


British   squadron  anchors  be 
low  Boston. 


Congress  recommends  colonies 
to  establish  governments. 


British  flag  on  Virginia  State 
House  struck. 


Jas.  Mugford  captures  British 
ship  Hope. 


Mugford  mortally  wounded  at 

Nantasket. 
Pennsylvania  assembly  meets. 

Maryland  convention  votes  it 
is  not  necessary  to  suppress 
all  authority  of  the  crown. 


Schuyler  announces  his  inten 
tion  to  resign. 


Burgoyne  arrives  at  Quebec. 


Tweitlen  chosen  governor  of 
Georgia. 


Washington  instructs  Greene 
to  examine  forts  in  the  High 
lands. 


Massachusetts  assembly  votes 
for  Independence. 


Meigs  embarks  at  Guilford. 
Meigs  lands  on  Long  Island. 


Washington  encamps  at  Mid- 
dlebrook. 


Congress    presents   Arnold  a 
horse. 


640 


Of    THE     DEVOLUTION. 


1778. 


1779. 


178O. 


1781. 


Chain    stretched    across 
the  Hudson. 


Treaty  with  Louis  XVI. 
ratified  by  Congress. 


French  alliance  celebra 
ted  at  Valley  Forge. 

Unfinished  continental 
frigates  b'rned  by  Brit 
ish  at  Bordentown. 

Clinton  arrives  in  Phila 
delphia. 


Clinton  takes  command 
of  Brit,  army  in  Phila. 


Connecticut 
mutiny. 


regiments 


Mischianza  at  Philadel 
phia  ;  Lafayette  crosses 
the  Schuylkill. 
Lafayette  takes  post  on 

Barren  Hill. 

Lafayette  retreats  from 
Barren  Hill. 


Delaware  signs  Articles 
of  Confederation. 


British  anchor  in  Hamp 
ton  Roads. 

Brit,  occupy  Portsmouth 
and  Norfolk. 

Prevost  appears  before 
Charleston. 


Ft.  Moultrie  surrenders. 


Virginia  legisla.  meets. 


Lafayette  rejoins  Wash 
ington. 

Charleston  surrenders  to 
British. 


General    Lovell   arrives 
in  the  Penobscot. 


Lovell  effects  a  landing. 


Clinton  ascends  the  Hud 
son. 


Whigs  in  S.  C.  threaten 
ed  with  confiscation  of 
property. 


Arnold    asks    for    com 
mand  of  West  Point. 


Washington  learns  of  the 
sur'nder  of  Charleston. 

Buford's  command  mas 
sacred  by  Tarleton. 


Phillips  retires  to   City 
Point. 


Pensacola  surrenders. 

Camden          evacuated ; 

Rawdon     retreats     to 

Monk's  Corner. 
Orangeburg    surrenders 

to  Sumter. 
Fort  Schuyler  destroyed 

by  fire;    Fort    Motte 

taken. 

General  Phillips  dies. 
British  abandon  post  at 

Nelson  Ferry. 
Ft.  Granby  surrenders. 


Cornwallis  arrives  at 
Petersburg. 

Rochambeau  and  Wash 
ington  plan  campaign. 

Fort  Galphin  taken. 

Greene  commences  siege 
of  Ninety-Six. 


Cornwallis  marches  from 
Petersb'rg  to  Jas.  Riv. 

Lafayette  retreats  from 
Richmond. 


641 


£HFJONOLOQICA;L   JABLE   oj7  THE 


177S. 


1776. 


1777. 


Virginia  House  of  Burgesses 
convened  the  last  time  by 
British  governor. 

S.  Carolina  congress  pledge 
lives  and  fortunes  to  liberty. 


Dunmore  goes  on  board  man- 
of-war  at  York. 


Gates  declares  martial  law. 


Congress  authorizes  enlist 
ment  of  troops. 

Washingt'n  elected  command- 
er-in-chief. 

Prescott  takes  possession  of 
Bunker  Hill. 

Battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 


Thomas  Jefferson  enters  Con 
gress  ;  Washington  leaves 
Philadelphia  for  Cambridge. 

Greene  commissioned  briga 
dier  ;  News  of  Bunker  Hill 
battle  reaches  Congress. 

Washington  escorted  from 
Phila.  by  Mass,  delegates. 


General  Washington  and  Gov. 
Tryon  received  at  N.  Y. 

N.  Y.  provincial  congress  ad 
dresses  Washington. 

N.  Y.  Congress  prepares  plan 
of  reconciliation. 


Jas.  Clinton  appointed  colonel. 


Sullivan  assumes  command  in 
Canada. 

Congr'ss  forms  "  flying  camp" 
in  New  Jersey. 

Brit,  fleet  appears  off  Charles 
ton  harbor. 

Hugh  Mercer  commissioned 
brigadier-general. 

Geo.  R.  Clark,  rep.  from  Har- 
rodston  to  assembly  of  Vir. 

Lee  proposes  in  Congress  free 
dom  of  the  colonies. 


Clinton  lands  on  Long  Island. 


Committee  chosen  to  prepare 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

Declaration  of  Rights  adopted 
in  Virginia. 


Sullivan  retreats  from  Canada. 

New  Hampshire  assembly  fa 
vors  Independence. 


National  fast. 


Prov.  conference  of  Pennsyl 
vania  approves  Declaration 
of  Independence  •  Sullivan 
reaches  Isle  aux  Noix. 


Franklin,   last    royal   gov. 
N.  J.,  calls  meeting  of  asse 


of 

assem. 

Maryland  Com.  ot  Safety,  calls 
a  convention. 


N.  J.  convention  resolves  to 
form  a  government. 


Congress  resolves  that  all  who 
live  in  the  colonies  owe  them 
allegiance. 


Gates  starts  for  Canada. 


Attack  on  Ft.  Moultrie  :  Howe 
lands  on  Staten  Island. 

Moultrie  receives  congratula 
tions  from  Charlest'n  people. 

Mrs.  Elliott  presents  second 
regim'nt,  in  behalf  of  Charles 
ton  ladies,  two  silken  colors. 

642 


Burgoyne  collects  forces  at 
St.  John's. 

Committee  appointed  at  Wind 
sor,  Vt.,  to  prepare  constitu 
tion. 

Schuyler  meets  Gates  at  Al 
bany. 


Gates   sets  out  from  Albany 
for  Philadelphia. 


St.  Clair  reaches  Ticonderoga. 


Howe  sallies  from  Brunswick, 
New  Jersey. 

Howe  advances  toward  Som 
erset  Court-House. 


Burgoyne  advances  from  St. 

John's. 
Schuyler  visits  Ticonderoga ; 

U.  S.  flag  adopted. 


Gates  arrives  at  Philadelphia. 


Howe  returns  to  Brunswick; 
Gates  appears  before  Con 
gress. 


Burgoyne    meets    Indians    in 
council. 

Howe  retreats  toward  Amboy. 


Washington    at  Ouibbletown 
(NewMarket). 


Crown  Pt.  abandoned  ;  Corn 
wall  is  moves  toward  Rah- 
way. 


Burgoyne  issues  a  proclama 
tion. 

Howe  withdraws  to  Staten 
Island. 


OF     THE     I^EVOLUTIOJM 


1778. 


British      commissioners 
arrive  at  Philadelphia. 


Clinton  informs  Wash 
ington  of  the  arrival  of 
commissioners. 


Congress  receives  letter, 
etc.,  from  commis'ners. 


Lee  writes  to  Washing 
ton. 


Congress  answers  com 
missioners  u  that  peace 
is  impossible  without 
independence." 

British  evacuate  Phila 
delphia. 


'Clark's  boats  pass  falls 
of  Ohio. 

Wayne  joins  Washing 
ton's  advance  in  N.  J. 


Lee  assumes   command 
of  the  advance. 

Battle  of  Monmouth. 


Lee  tried  by  court-mar 
tial. 


1779. 


Verplanck's  Point    sur 
renders  to  British. 


Congress  asks  Louis 
XVI.  for  his  portrait. 

Spain  declares  war  agt. 
Great  Britain. 


Battle  of  Stono  Ferry. 


Sullivan  arr.  at  Wilkes- 
barre.  Pennsylvania. 

Bo'ts  with  supplies  reach 
Wyoming  Valley. 


178O. 


Clinton  and  Arbuthnot 
issue  proclamation  at 
Charleston. 


Clinton  issues  proclama 
tion  at  Charleston. 


Sir  Henry  Clinton  em 
barks  for  New  York. 

Knyphausen  lands  at 
Elizabethtown. 

Colonel  Drayton  retires 
before  Knyphausen. 


Congress  appoints  Gates 
to  command  southern 
army. 


Clinton  arrives  in  New 
York  bay. 


Clinton  goes  to  New 
Jersey. 

Kalb  reaches  Hillsbor- 
ough,  N.  C. ;  Battle  of 
Ramsour's  Mills. 


Springfield,  New  Jersey, 
burned. 

British  evacuate  Eliza 
bethtown. 


British  cross  from  Am- 
boy  to  Staten  Island. 


1781. 


Virginia  assembly  ad 
journ  to  Staunton. 

Augusta,  Ga.,  capitu 
lates. 


Laf 'ette  join'd  by  Wayne. 

Fox  in  House  of  Com 
mons  recom'nds  peace 
measures. 


Greene     retires    across 
the  Saluda. 


Rawdon  enters  Ninety- 
Six. 


Rawdon  leaves  Ninety- 
Six. 

French  march  from 
Newport ;  Cornwallis 
reaches  Williamsburg. 

Affair  at  Spencer's  Or 
dinary. 


643 


fyVBLX     OF    THE 


177S. 


1776. 


1777. 


Washington  arrives  at  Cam 
bridge. 

Washington  takes  command 
before  Boston;  McDonald 
raises  loyal  Highlanders. 

Georgia  sends  delegates  to 
Continental  Congress. 

Franklin  writes  to  Lord  North. 


Declaration  of  war  issued. 


Petition  to  the  king  adopted. 

Washington    calls    council  of 
war. 

South     Carolina      legislature 
meets. 


Greaton  burns  hay  on  Long 
Island  for  British  cavalry. 


Nine  colonies  vote  for  Decla 
ration  of  Independence. 

Lee's  resolution  of  Independ 
ence  passes. 


Declaration  of  Independence. 


Statue    of   King    George   de 
stroyed  in  New  York. 


Declaration  of  Independence 
read  in  Philadelphia ;  Brit 
ish  land  on  Staten  Island. 

Declaration  of  Independence 
read  in  New  York ;  N".  Y. 
prov.  cong.  at  White  Plains. 


British  abandon  Gwynn's  Is 
land  in  Chesapeake. 

Howe  reaches  Staten  Island  ; 
British  ships  ascend  the 
Hudson. 


Howe  sends  letter  to  Washing 
ton. 

President  Langdon  reads  Dec.  j  Phila.      convention      assumes 
of  War  to  army  at  Cambr'ge.       government  of  Pennsylvania. 

Convention  organized  at  Rich-  j  Declaration  of  Independence 
mond.  read  in  Boston. 

Schuyler  arrives  at  Ticonder- 
oga. 

Massachusetts  House  of  Rep-  |  Howe's  aide-de-camp  requests 
resentatives  chosen.  interview  with  Washington. 

Continental  Fast. 

Congress    thanks    people    of    Indians  repulsed  at  Fort  Wa- 
Ireland  for  sympathy.  tauga. 


Dunmore  summons  Burgesses 
to  meet  him  on  man-of-war.  ! 

Congress  thanks  assembly  of    Declaration  of  Independence 
Jamaica  for  sympathy.  read  in  Virginia. 

Franklin  appoint'd  postmaster- 
general  ;  Maryland  conven 
tion  meets  at  Annapolis. 

Seth  Warner  elected  colonel  of 
Green  Mountain  Boys. 

Maryland  convention  appoints 
Committee  of  Safety  and 
Correspondence. 


Major  Tupper  captures  British    Lord    Howe    receives    letter 
at  Boston  light-house.  from  Franklin. 


Burgoyne  appears  before  Ti- 

conderoga. 
Vermont  asks  admission  into 

the  Union. 


Fraser's  corps  occupy  Mount 
Hope. 

Howe  embarks  for  Philadel 
phia  ;  British  occupy  Mount 
Defiance. 

St.  Clair  abandons  Ticonder- 
oga. 

Battle  of  Hubbardton  ;  White 
hall  taken. 
Battle  at  Fort  Ann. 


Warner      reaches      Rutland ; 
Schuyler  at  Fort  Edward. 

Barton  takes  Prescott  prisoner. 


St.  Clair  joins  Schuyler  at  Fort 
Edward. 


Schuyler  retreats  below  Fort 

Edward. 
Arnold  joins  Schuyler  ;  Howe 

sails  from  Staten  Island. 


Murder  of  Miss  McCrea. 


Burgoyne  reaches  the  Hudson. 

Washington  at  Germantown  ; 
British  fleet  off  the  Delaware. 


644 


°F     THE     DEVOLUTION. 


1778. 


1779. 


178O. 


1781. 


Forts  in  Wyoming  Val 
ley  surrender. 

Congress  meets  in  Phila 
delphia-  Indian  battle 
in  Schoharie  county. 

Massacre  of  Wyoming. 


Cahokia  surprised  •  Clin 
ton  crosses  to  Sandy 
Hook. 

Count  d'Estaing  arrives 
off  the  Delaware. 


French  fleet  anchors  in 
Delaware  bay ;  Butler 
leaves  Wyoming. 

Articles  of  Confederation 
signed  by  eight  States. 


Washington  crosses  the 
Hudson  ;  N.  C.  signs 
Art.  of  Confederation. 

D'Estaing  sails  from  the 
Delaware  to  Rhode  Is. 


Georgia  signs  Articles  of 
Confederation. 


French    fleet  arrives  in 
Narraganset  Bay. 


Affair  of  Poundridge. 


Island  of  Grenada  sur 
renders  to  d'Estaing. 

Tryon  lands  at  New 
Haven. 

D'Estaing  defeats  British 
fleet  off  the  Indies. 

Tryon  burns  Fairfield. 


Tryon    retreats    to    his 
ships. 


British  burn  Norwalk. 


Stony  Point  captured. 


Battle  of  Minisink,  N.  J. 


Massachusetts  expedition 
enters  Penobscot  Bay. 


Mass,     troops    land 
Castine,  Maine. 


French  fleet  appears  off 
Virginia. 


De    Kalb    encamps    at 
Deep  River. 


French  troops  arrive  at 
Newport. 


Sumter  defeats  Huck  at 
Cross  Roads. 

English  fleet  blockades 
Narraganset  Bay. 


Four    British    ships  ap 
pear  off  Newport. 


Lincoln  attacks  De  Lan- 
cey  on  Harlem  River. 

Lincoln  lands  above 
Spuyten  Duyvel  Creek. 

Cornwallis  sets  out  from 
Williamsburg. 

Lafayette  follows  Corn 
wallis. 

Battle  of  Green  Spring, 
Jamestown  ;  Washing^ 
ton  joins  Rochambeau. 


Rawdon  joins  Stewart  at 
Orangeburg. 


Sumter     joins      Greene 
near  Orangeburg. 


Greene  crosses  the  Sal- 
uda. 


American  troops  arrive 
at  King's  Bridge. 


R.  I.  assembly  presents 
address  to  Rocham 
beau  and  Ternay. 

Gates  joins  army  at 
Deep  River. 


Gates  marches  to  Cam- 
den. 


Sumter    attacks    Rocky 

Mount. 

Sullivan  ascends  the  Sus- 
quehanna. 

645 


^HFJONOLOQICAL     ^AB^E     Of     THE 


1775. 


1776. 


1777. 


Congress  adjourns. 


Washington    writes    to    Gov. 
Cook  of  R.  I.  for  powder. 


Linzee,  captain  of  the  Falcon, 
captures  schooners  off  Glou 
cester. 


Mass.  prov.  congress  forbids 

waste  of  powder  in  sporting. 

Mowat  fires  upon  Gloucester. 


Montgomery  arrives  at  Ticon- 

deroga. 
Committee  appointed  to  erect 

forts  on  the  Hi 


[udson. 


North    Carolina  congress  as 
sembles. 


Franklin's  plan  of  confederacy 
introduced. 


Washington  occupies  Plough'd 

Hill. 
Gage  commences  a  cannonade. 

Washington    offers    battle  on 
Bunker  Hill. 

Bernard   Romans  commences 
fort  opposite  West  Point. 


Gage  cuts  down  Boston  liberty 
tree. 


Declaration  of  Independence 
signed. 


Heath,  Spencer,  Sullivan,  and 
Greene  appointed  major- 
generals. 


Congress  issues  five  million 
dollars. 

Maryland  frames  its  constitu 
tion. 

Hessians  arrive  on  Staten  Is 
land. 


Sullivan  succeeds  Greene  on 
Long  Island. 


British  land  on  Long  Island. 


Washington  crosses  from  New 
York  to  Brooklyn. 

De  Heister's  Hessians  rein 
force  Howe. 

Clinton    marches    from    Flat- 
lands. 
Battle  of  Long  Island. 

British  cannonade  Fort  Put 
nam. 

Washington  retreats  from  L.  T. 

British  fleet  anchors  near  Gov 
ernor's  Island. 

Vergennes  reads  Declaration 
oflndep.  to  Louis  XVI. 

646 


Congress     inquires    into    the 
conduct  of  northern  gener'ls. 


St.  Leger  besieges  Ft.  Schuy- 
ler. 

Gates  chosen  Schuyler's  suc 
cessor. 


Battle  of  Oriskany. 


St.  Leger  summons  Ft.  Schuy- 
ler. 

Gansevoort  asks  reinforce 
ments. 

Burgoyne  sends  Baum  to  Ben- 
nington. 


Stark  arrives  at  Bennington. 

Baum  approaches  Bennington. 

Arnold  raises  troops  to  relieve 
Fort  Schuyler ;  Berkshire 
militia  reinforce  Stark. 

Battle  of  Bennington. 


Arnold  arrives  at  Fort  Dayton 
(Herkimer). 


Gates  assumes  command  ;  St. 
Leger  retreats  ;  British  enter 
the  Chesapeake. 


Washington   leads  his  troops 

through  Philadelphia. 
I  Washington  reaches  Wilming 
ton  ;  Brit,  anchor  in  the  Elk. 


Howe  issues  a  proclamation. 


Lee  arr.  in  Washington's  camp 
with  twenty-four  prisoners. 


1778. 


Spalding      quarters     at 
Wilkesbarre  Fort. 


French  fleet  anchors  in 
Newport  harbor. 

Lord  Howe  anchors  near 
Point  Judith,  R.  I. 

Both  fleets  set  sail. 
Storm  shatters  fleets. 


D'Estaing    appears    off 

Newport. 


D'Estaing  weighs  anchor 
for  Boston. 


Sullivan,  at  Newport, 
takes  post  on  Butt's 
Hill. 

Battle  of  Quaker  Hill. 

Lord  Howe  arr.  at  Bos 
ton,  hoping  to  inter 
cept  d'Estaing. 

Sullivan  retreats ;  Clinton 
arr.  from  New  York. 


1779. 


Sullivan  arrives  at  Shes- 
hequin. 


Sullivan  at  Tioga  Point. 


Brit,  fleet  attacks  Amer 
icans  in  Penobsc't  Bay. 


Surprise  of  Paulus  Hook. 


Clinton  joins  Sullivan. 


Sullivan     ascends 
Tioga. 


the 


Sullivan  ascends  the 
Chemung. 

Sullivan  destroys  Che 
mung  village. 

Battle  of  Chemung,  near 
Elmira. 


Sullivan  burns  Newtown 
(Elmira). 


1780. 


1781. 


Brandt  appears  before 
Fort  Plain. 

Arnold  assumes  com'and 
of  West  Point ;  Gates 
crosses  the  Pedee. 

Gates  issues  a  proclama 
tion. 


Battle  of  Hanging  Rock. 


Cornw'lis  leaves  Charl's- 
ton. 


Gates  camps  at  Clerm'nt ; 
Cornwallis  reinforces 
Rawdon  at  Camden. 

Stevens's,  Va.,  militia 
reach  Gates. 


Battle  of  Camden. 


Tarleton  surprises  Sum- 
ter  at  Fishing  Creek  ; 
Williams  attacks  Brit, 
at  Musgrove's  Mills. 


Sumter  reaches  Char 
lotte  ;  Marion  surprises 
British  near  Nelson's 
Ferry. 


Cornwallis  goes  to  York- 
town. 


French    fleet    under   de. 
Grasse  arrives. 

Col.  Hayne  executed. 


Washington    starts    for 
Virginia. 


Greene  marches  to  Cam 
den. 


Hood  arrives  off  Chesa 
peake  ;  Colonel  John 
Laurens  arr.  in  Boston. 


De  Grasse  anchors  in 
Chesapeake  ;  Washing 
ton  arr.  in  Philadelphia. 


647 


^ABLE     OF     THE 


1773. 


Schuyler  attacks  St.  John's. 


Council  of  war  opposes  an  at 
tack  on  Boston. 


Washington  calls  a  council  of 
war. 


Arnold  sets  out  for  Canada. 

Patriots  seize  Fort  Johnson, 
near  Charleston. 

Gov.  Campbell  of  S.  C.  flees 
to  British  ship ;  Schuyler 
starts  for  Ticonderoga. 

Fort  Moultrie  evacuated. 


Committee  on  trade  appointed. 


Ethan   Allen    crosses   the  St. 

Lawrence. 
25      |  Transylvania    sends   delegate 
to  Continental  Congress. 

Allen  taken  prisoner  at  Mont 
real. 


Stonington  bombarded. 


1776. 


New  York  legislature  meets 
at  Fishkill. 


Congress  appoints  committee 
to  confer  with  Howe. 


Howe  confers  with  committee. 

Council  of  war  decides  to  evac 
uate  New  York. 

Four  ships  of  war  anchor  in 
East  River. 

Six  ships  of  war  anchor  in 
East  River. 

English  colors  raised  on  Fort 
George,  N.  Y.  ;  Talbot  fires 
the  Renomme. 

Skirmish  at  Harlem  Plains. 


The  Howes  issue  a  proclama 
tion. 

Delaware  adopts  a  constitu 
tion. 

Fire  in  New  York  city. 


Nathan  Hale  executed. 


Paroled  prisoners  from  Quebec 
at  Elizabethtown. 


Pennsylvania  adopts  a  consti 
tution. 


648 


1777. 


Howe  marches  toward  Phila 
delphia. 

Washington    appeals    to    the 
army. 


Washington  summons  council 
of  war. 

Jay,  first  chief-justice  of  N.  Y., 
opens  court  at  Kingston ; 
Washington  on  the  Brandy- 
wine. 


Battle  of  Brandywine  ;  Con 
gress  adjourns  to  Lancaster. 

Gates  at  Bemis's  Heights ; 
Washington  at  Germanto'n. 

Burgoyne  crosses  the  Hudson. 

Washingt'n  crosses  the  Schuyl- 

Burgoyne  advances  to  Cove- 
ville. 


Washington 
Schuylkill. 


the 


Burgoyne  at  Wilbur's  Basin. 
First  battle  of  Saratoga. 

Burgoyne  retires  to  WTilbur's 
Basin ;  Paoli  massacre. 

Clinton  promises  Burgoyne  a 
diversion  on  the  Hudson. 


Howe  crosses  the  Schuylkill  ; 
Arnold  remonstrates  with 
Gates. 


British  at  Germantown. 
British  capture  Philadelphia. 

Congress  assembles  at    Lan 
caster. 

Lincoln    takes    command    of 

right  wing  of  Gates's  army. 
Washingt'n  at  Skippack  Creek. 


Of    THE     ^EVOI_UTIOJ1 


1778. 


1779. 


1780. 


1781. 


New  Bedford  and  Fair- 
haven  laid  waste. 


Franklin  appointed  com 
missioner  to  France. 


Massacre  at  Tappan. 


D'Estaing  captures  four 
Brit,  ships  off  Georgia. 

Sullivan's  army  at  Cath 
arine's  Town. 


Talmadge   surp.   Tories 
at  Lloyd's  Neck,  L.  I. 


Kendaia  destroyed. 

Fort  Kanadaseagea  de 
stroyed. 


Sullivan  destroys  Kan- 
andaigua. 


Fr'nch  land  at  Savan'ah  ; 

Kanaghsaws  burned. 
Capture  of  Lieut.  Boyd. 

Sullivan  in  Genesee  Val 
ley. 


D'Estaing 
Prevost. 


Sullivan  recrosses  Seneca 

Lake  outlet. 
Baton  Rouge  surrenders 

to  Galvez,  governor  of 

Louisiana. 


Paul    Jones's    victory ; 

Lincoln  joins  French 

at  Savannah. 
Sullivan  at  Newtown. 

Celebrates  dec.  of  war 
by  Spain  agt.  England. 


John     Jay,     envoy     to 
Spain. 


Massachusetts    commit 
tee  assemble  at  Boston. 


Vulture     ascends     the 
Hudson. 

Cornwallis  issues  a  proc 
lamation. 


Washington      goes     to 
Hartford. 


Andr6  lands  at  West 
Point:  Washington 
and  Rochambeau  at 
Hartford. 

Andre"  meets  Arnold. 


Andr6  captured. 


Washington   returns  to 
West  Point. 


Andre"  at  the  Robinson 
House. 


larion  surpi 

at  Black  M 

Andre"  tried. 


mgo. 


American    troops    pass 
through  Philadelphia. 


Amer.  army  at  Chester  ; 
French-English  naval 
engagement  in  Chesa 
peake. 

Washington  at  Head  of 
Elk. 


Battle  of  Eutaw  Springs ; 
Washington  crosses 
the  Susquehanna. 

Washington  reaches  Mt. 
Vernon. 


Chastellux   reaches  Mt. 

Vernon. 
Washington  leaves  Mt. 

Vernon. 


Washington    arrives   at 
Williamsburg. 


Washingt'n  descends  the 

James. 
Washingt'n  visits  Fr'nch 

fleet. 


Washington  returns  to 
Williamsburg. 


French-American  army 
at  Williamsburg. 


French-American  army 
at  Yorktown. 


649 


JABIX  of  THE 


177S. 


1776. 


1777. 


Plan  for  a  navy  proposed  to 
Congress. 


Bristol  bombarded. 


Gage  embarks  for  England. 


Congress    votes    two    armed 
vessels. 


Falmouth  bombarded. 


New  Hampshire  asks  leave  to 
form  a  government. 


Howe  issues  a  proclamation. 


Tryon  takes  up  his  quarters 
on  ship  at  New  York. 


Carleton  advances. 


Lee  appears  before  Continent 
al  Congress  at  Philadelphia. 
Lee  leaves  Philadelphia. 


Connecticut  charter  changed. 

Naval  battle  at  Crown  Point 
between  Arnold  and  Carle- 
ton. 

Howe  sends  troops  to  Throe's 
Point ;  bridge  at  Throg's  Pt. 
burned. 

Second  engagement  at  Crown 
Point  between  Arnold  and 
Carleton. 

Carleton  lands  at  Crown  Pt. ; 
Lee  arrives  in  camp. 

Mercer  takes  seventeen  pris 
oners  at  Richmond,  Staten 
Island. 

Washington    calls   council  of 


British  land  just  below  East 
Chester. 


Howe  at  New  Rochelle  ;  Stir 
ling  routs  Queen's  Rangers  at 
Mamaroneck,  Westchester. 

Knyphausen  lands  near  New 
Rochelle. 

Washington's  headquarters  at 
White  Plains ;  Colonel  Hand 
routs  Brit,  at  East  Chester. 


Movement  against  Fort  Wash 
ington. 
Battle  of  White  Plains. 

Washington  at  White  Plains. 
Earl  Percy  reinforces  Howe. 

Washington  retires  to  North 
Castle. 

650 


Burgoyne's  army  on  short  al 
lowance. 


American  army  leaves  Skip- 
pack  Creek. 
Battle  of  Germantown. 


Clinton  lands  at  Verplanck's 
Point. 

Tryon  burns  Continental  Vil 
lage  ;  Forts  Clinton  and 
Montgomery  captured. 

Second  battle  of  Saratoga. 

Fraser  buried  ;  Americans  oc 
cupy  British  camp. 

Burgoyne  retreats  toward 
Saratoga. 


Burgoyne  retreats  across  the 
Fishkill. 


Spy  hanged  near  Kingston. 


Vaughan  burns  Kingston. 


Surrender  of  Burgoyne. 

News  of  Burgoyne's  surrender 

reaches  Washington. 
Howe  concentrates  his  forces 

at  Philadelphia. 
Howe  and  M'Dougal  chosen 

major-generals. 


Donop  arrives  at  Fort  Island  ; 
attack  on  Fort  Mercer. 

"  Augusta  "  and  "  Merlin  " 
burned ;  Fort  Mifflin  at 
tacked. 


Washington        congratulates 
Gates  on  his  success. 


Of    THE     DEVOLUTION. 


1778. 


Hamiton  leaves  Detroit 
for  Vincennes. 


''erguson 
laski. 


surprises  Pu- 


The  dead  of  Wyoming 
massacre  buried. 


D'Estaing  issues  procla 
mation. 


1779. 


Colonel  White's  adven^ 
ture. 


Sullivan  ret'rns  to  Tioga. 
Riot  in  Philadelphia. 


Sullivan  arrives  at  Wy 
oming. 

Repulse  at  Savannah. 


Convention  of  the  East 
ern  States  at  Hartford. 


British  evacuate  Rhode 
Island. 


1780. 


Andre  executed  at  Tap- 
pan. 


Congress   inquires   into 
Gates's  conduct. 


Battle  of  King's  Moun 
tain. 


Johnson    attacks    Scho- 
harie  forts. 


Caughnawaga  burned. 
Battle  of  Fort  Keyser. 

Mohawk  Valley. 
Champe's  desertion. 


Massachusetts      adopts 
Constitution. 


1781. 


Tarlet'n  crosses  to  Glou 
cester. 


Bombardment  of  York- 


First  parallel  before 
Yorktown;  Tallmadge 
captures  Fort  Slongo, 
Conn. 


Second  parallel  opened. 


Redoubts  before  York- 
town  taken. 


Surrender  of  Cornwallis. 


Indian  battle  at  Johns 
town  ;  Clinton  reach 
es  capes  of  Virginia. 


Butler  killed  in  last  bat 
tle  near  Mohawk. 


65I 


£HFJONOLOQICA;L 


OF  THE 


177S. 


1776. 


1777. 


Hessians  set  sail  from  Ritze- 
buttel. 


St.  John's  surrenders. 

Pennsylvania  elects  delegates 
to  Continental  Congress. 

Arnold  reaches  the  St.  Law 
rence. 


Dunmore  issues  a  proclama 
tion. 


Pennsylv'ia  delegates  to  Con 
gress  enjoined  to  reject  sep 
aration  from  England. 

Mass,  authorizes  fitting  out 
privateers :  Arnold  opposite 
Quebec  ;  Penn  at  the  bar  of 
House  of  Lords. 


Montreal  surrenders  to  Mont 
gomery. 


Arnold  on  the  Plains  of  Abra 
ham. 


Burke  seeks  to  repeal  acts  hos 
tile  to  Americans. 


Arnold  retreats  to  Point  aux 
Trembles. 


Dunmore  takes  possession  of 
Norfolk. 


Rivington's  printing-office  in 
New  York  sacked. 


Virginia    militia    marches   to 
Great  Bridge. 


Howe  follows  Washington. 

Knyphausen  leaves  New  Ro- 

chelle. 
Carleton  abandons  Crown 

Point. 
Howe  retreats  to  Fordham 

Heights. 

Howe  moves  to  Dobb's  Ferry. 

Garrison  at  Ticonderoga  with 
out  supplies. 


Washington  desires  Greene  to 
evacuate  Fort  Washington. 

Washington  sends  troops  to 
the  Jerseys. 

Lee  warned  to  guard  against 
surprises  ;  Washington  rides 
from  White  Plains  to  Peek- 
skill. 

Washington  goes  up  the  Hud 
son  to  West  Point. 

Washington  goes  to  Hacken- 
sack. 

Washington  reaches  Ft.  Wash 
ington. 

Washington  at  Fort  Lee  ;  Am. 
army  at  Hackensack. 

Howe  summons  Magaw. 

Fort  Washington  taken. 

Washington  orders  Lee  to  join 
him. 


Cornw'lis  crosses  the  Hudson  ; 

Greene  retreats. 
Washington     moves    beyond 

the  Passaic. 
Washington  arr.  at  Newark. 

Washington  sends  to  Philadel 
phia  for  reinforcements. 


Congress  votes  Lieut.-Colonel 
Greene  a  sword. 


Wilkinson,  Gates' s  aid,  made  a 

brigadier. 
Burgoyne's   army   arrives   at 

Cambridge. 


Washington  writes  to  Conway. 


Howe  opens  fire  on  Fort  Mif- 
flin. 


Congress  at  Yorktown  adopts 

Articles  of  Confederation. 
Red  Bank  evacuated. 

Cornw'lis  crosses  from  Chester 
into  the  Jerseys. 


The  king  opens  the  session  of 
parliament. 


Congress   receives  Conway's 
resignation. 


Washington    at    Newark   re-    Gates  appointed  president  of 

ceives  letter  from  Lee.  the  Board  of  War. 

Cornwallis's    advance    guard 
Wash- 


reaches  Newark  as 
ington  leaves. 
Washington  at  Brunswick. 

Howe  issues  proclamation: 
Lee  at  Peekskill ;  Washing 
ton  at  Brunswick. 

652 


Congress  resolves  to  carry  on 
a  winter  campaign. 


Of    THE     I^EVOjLUTION. 


1778. 


1779. 


1780. 


1781. 


D'Estaing  sails  for  the 
West  Indies. 


Judge  Jones,  a  Tory, 
captured  near  Smith- 
town. 


Affair  of  William's  Br'ge. 


Laurens    leaves    Phila 
delphia. 


Congress  imposes  a  tax 
on  the  States. 


De  Grasse  sets  sail. 


Ind.  massacre  at  Cherry 
Valley. 


Battle  of  Fishdam  Ford. 


Simcoe    with     Queen's 
Rangers  at  Oyster  Bay, 


Congress  approyes  a 
regulation  of  prices  in 
paper  at  20  to  i. 


News  of  Cornwallis's 
surrender  reaches  Ver 
sailles. 


Sumter  defeats  Tarleton 
at  Blackstock. 


Tallmadge  captures  Ft. 
George  on  Long  Is. 


New  Jersey  accepts  the 
Confederation. 


South  Carolina  constitu 
tion  takes  effect. 


News  of  Cornwallis's 
surrender  reaches  Eng 
land. 


£53 


^ABLE    OF    THE 


1773. 


1776. 


1777. 


Montgomery  arrives  at  Point 
aux  Trembles. 

Montgomery  marches  to  Que 
bec. 


Montgomery    joins    Arnold ; 
Dunmore  abandons  Norfolk. 


Montgomery    arrives    before 
Quebec. 


Battle  of  Great  Bridge. 


Robt.  Howe  of  North  Carolina 
arrives  at  Great  Bridge. 


Naval  Committee  empowered 
to  fit  out  thirteen  frigates. 

Robert  Howe  takes  possession 
of  Norfolk. 


Washington  leaves  Brunswick 
as  Cprnwallis  enters. 

Washington  goes  to  Trenton, 
leaving  Stirling  at  Prince 
ton  :  N.  J.  legislature  retires 
to  Hattonfield. 


Lee  at  Haverstraw. 


Cornwallis  joined  by  Howe; 
West  part  of  Virginia  incor 
porated  as  county  of  Kent. 

Washington  advances  toward 
Princeton  ;  Lee  at  Pompton  ; 
British  fleet  enters  Newport. 

Newp't  evacuated  ;  Washing 
ton  crosses  the  Delaware; 
Cornwallis  reaches  Trenton. 

Lee  at  Chatham. 

Congress  sends  Mifflin  through 
Pennsylvania  to  rouse  its 
freemen  to  arms. 

Lee  at  Morristown. 

Cong,  adjourns  to  Baltimore ; 

Lee  at  Baskingridge. 
Lee  captured  by  Brit.  ;  Howe 

prepares  for  winter-quarters. 
Donop    quarters   at    Borden- 

town  and  Blackhorse. 


North    Carolina    constitution 
ratified. 


Sullivan  joins  Washingt'n  with 
Lee's     division ;     Congress 
reassembles  at  Baltimore. 
Trade  with  the  colonies  for-    Franklin  reaches  Paris, 
bidden. 


Washington  writes  for  the 
watchword,  "  Victory  or 
Death ! " 

Gates  sets  out  for  Baltimore. 

Washington  crosses  the  Dela 
ware  ;  Griffin  draws  Donop 
to  Mount  Holly. 

Battle  of  Trenton. 

Cadwallader  crosses  the  Dela 
ware  ;  Congress  constitutes 
Washington  a  dictator. 

Colonel  Reed  at  Trenton. 


Washington  recrosses  the  Del 
aware. 

Washington  encamps  at  Tren 
ton. 


Battle  of  Quebec ;  Montgom 
ery  killea. 


Lord  North  receives  news  of 
Burgoyne's  surrender. 


British  march  from  Philadel 
phia  to  attack  Washington 
at  White  Marsh. 

British  halt  near  Chestnut  HilL 

Howe  marches  back  to  Ger- 
mantown. 

Action  on  Edge  Hill. 

British  return  to  Philadelphia. 


Washington  sets  out  for  Val 
ley  Forge. 


Con  way  made  inspector-gen 
eral. 


Thanksgiving  Day. 

Washington  arrives  at  Valley 

Forge. 
Troops  build  log-huts. 


Washington   writes  to   Con 
gress. 

Congress     votes     Barton     a 
sword. 


Sullivan  advises  Washington 
to  attack  Howe. 


Time  of  New  England  regi 
ments  expires. 

654 


Congress  recommends  to  seize 
supplies  for  the  use  of  the 
army. 


•\YyVR    Of    THE     ^EVCXLUTIOJM. 


1778. 


1779. 


178O. 


1781. 


Lincoln  takes  command 
in  Charleston. 


Greene  assumes  com'and 
of  southern  army. 


Colonel  Washington  at 
Rugeley's  Mills. 


Jay  chosen  president  of 
Congress. 


Hamilton  arrives  at  Vin- 
cennes. 


Court  assembles  at  Mor- 
ristown  for  trial  of  Ar 
nold. 


Campbell  arrives  off  the 
island  of  Tybee. 


Clinton      embarks     for 

Charleston. 
Paul  Jones  with  prizes 

leaves  the  Texel. 


Reed  chosen  president  of 
Penn.  assembly. 

Brit,  capture  Savannah. 


Morgan  encamps  on  the 
Pacolet. 


Congress  commissions 
Lawrence  minister  to 
France. 

Davids'n  reinforces  Mor 
gan. 

Colonel  Washington  de 
feats  Maccall  near  Fair 
Forest. 


National  thanksgiving. 


655 


APPENDIX    V. 

COLONEL  JIATHAJJ  HALE. 

The  charges  made  against  Col.  Hale  of  misconduct  in  the  battle  of 
Hubbardton,  as  given  on  page  205  of  this  work  and  in  most  histories  of  the 
Revolution,  are  based  upon  the  statements  of  Ethan  Allen's  Narrative.  The 
friends  of  Col.  Hale  urge  in  his  defence  that  Allen  was  not  in  the  country 
at  the  time  of  this  battle,  and  that  his  allegations  were  founded  upon  infor 
mation  derived  from  officers  who  were  jealous  of  Col.  Hale ;  that  Allen 
wrote  from  impulse  and  feeling,  based  upon  such  information,  rather  than 
from  research  or  calm  judgment ;  and  that  Allen  was  in  character  and  habits 
of  mind  rather  a  brave  and  impulsive  soldier,  than  a  safe  and  unbiased  his 
torian  of  events  not  within  his  personal  knowledge.  They  further  claim  that 
Col.  Hale  was  in  command  of  a  detachment  formed  by  the  invalids  and  con 
valescents  of  the  army ;  that  to  his  charge  were  confided  the  sick  and  feeble 
who  were  not  attached  to  his  regiment ;  that  his  men  were  not  adequately 
equipped  for  active  duty ;  that  they  were  surprised  while  preparing  an  early 
breakfast ;  and  that  far  from  surrendering  without  striking  a  blow,  a  spirited 
though  brief  resistance  was  made,  until  his  corps  of  raw  militia,  demoralized 
by  sickness  and  absence  of  discipline  and  arms,  broke  and  fled,  leaving  their 
officers  to  be  captured  by  the  enemy.  Col.  Hale  was  afterward  paroled  and 
permitted  to  go  to  his  home  (Rindge,  N.  H.),  and  while  there  the  records 
show  that  he  participated  in  town-meetings,  and  was  put  on  important  com 
mittees  on  two  occasions  (see  Stearns'  History  of  Rindge)  ;  this  would  hardly 
have  occurred,  in  this  patriotic  town,  if  his  fellow-townsman  had  believed 
that  he  had  disgraced  them  by  cowardice  and  desertion.  In  a  letter  to  Gen. 
Washington,  he  demanded  an  investigation  of  his  conduct  by  court-martial. 
But  before  this  could  be  had  he  died  a  prisoner  within  the  enemy's  lines,  on 
Long  Island,  in  1780.  A  vindication  of  his  conduct  and  memory,  written  by 
Hon.  Winslow  C.  Watson,  may  be  found  in  the  American  Historical  Record 
for  October,  1873,  and  also  in  the  History  of  Rindge,  above  referred  to, 
published  in  Boston,  1875,  by  George  H.  Ellis. 


INDEX 


ACADIA,  devastation  of,  78. 

Adams,  Charles  Francis,  460. 

Adams,  John,  135,  141,  144,  253,  255  ;  elected  Vice- 
President,  334,  338  ;  elected  President,  342  : 
death,  415. 

Adams,  John  Quincy,  Anti-Federalist,  367 ;  Sec. 
of  State,  400  ;  chosen  President,  410  ;  a  Rep 
resentative,  423 ;  death,  459. 

Adams,  Samuel,  138,  144,  255-6. 

Alabama,  admission  of,  404. 

Alabama  Claims,  the,  615. 

Alabama,  a  Confederate  cruiser,  581. 

Alamance  Creek,  battle  of,  141. 

Alamo,  the,  445. 

Alaska,  purchase  of,  611. 

Allatoona  Pass,  capture  of,  561. 

Algiers,  treaty  with,  339,  361,  362,  399. 

Alien  and  Sedition  Laws,  the,  345. 

Allen,  Colonel  Ethan,  150,  340. 

American  Party  (see  Party). 

American  System,  the,  416. 

Ames,  Fisher,  338. 

Amnesty  Proclamation,  605,  607. 

Anderson,  Major  Robert,  486. 

Andre,  Major,  301. 

Andros,  Governor,  54,  58,  59. 

Anglo-Confederate  Cruisers,  581. 

Ann,  Skirmish  at  Fort,  206. 

Annapolis,  naval  school  at,  448. 

Anti-Renters,  440. 

Anti-Slavery  Party  (see  Part^ ). 

Anti-Slavery  Society,  the,  403. 

Antietam,  battle  of,  526-7. 

Appomattox  Court-House,  surrender  at,  593. 

Arctic  Expedition,  469. 

Arizona,  remains  in,  12. 

Arkansas,  admission  of,  431. 

Arkansas  Post  (Fort  Hindman),  capture  of,  509. 

Arlington  Heights,  capture  of,  488. 

Arnold,  Benedict,  at  Ticonderoga,  150 ;  Fort 
Schuyler,  208  ;  Saratoga,  214  ;  Ridgefield,  236  ; 
treason  of,  300 ;  in  Virginia,  315  :  death  of,  316. 

Asbury,  Bishop,  341. 

Ashe,  John,  137,  138,  271. 

Atlanta,  battles  at,  562. 

Augusta,  capture  of,  312. 

Averysboro,  battle  of,  586. 

BACON,  Nathaniel,  40. 
Baker,  Colonel  E.  D.,  493. 


Ball's  Bluff,  skirmish  at,  493. 

Baltimore,  394,  488. 

Banks,  Savings,  403. 

Bank,  the  United  States,  337,  424,  426. 

Banks,  Nathaniel  P.,  475,  520,  576,  578. 

Barnburners  (see  Party). 

Barton,  Lieut.-Col.,  captures  Prescott,  238. 

Baylor's  Massacre,  265. 

Beauregard,  Gen.  P.  G.  T.,  457,  486,  490,  499,  503. 

Belmont,  attack  on,  490. 

Bemis's  Heights,  battle  of,  213. 

Bennington,  battle  of,  210. 

Benton,  Thomas  H.,  427. 

Bentonville,  battle  of,  586. 

Berkeley,  Governor,  40,  60,  88. 

Bermuda  Hundred,  battle  at,  572. 

Bible  Society,  the  American,  402. 

Big  Bethel,  skirmish  at,  489. 

Big  Black  River,  battle  at,  533. 

Birney,  J.  G.,  443. 

Black,  Jeremiah  S.,  476. 

Black  Friday,  614. 

Blackstock  Hill,  attack  on,  297. 

Bladensburg,  battle  of,  393. 

Blennerhassett,  Harman,  365. 

Blockade,  the,  493,  582. 

Blue  Lights,  the,  390. 

Boone,  Daniel,  340. 

Booth,  J.  Wilkes,  595. 

Boston,  massacre  at,   140 ;   tea-party,   142 ;   port 

bill,  143  ;  evacuation  of,  167  ;  fire  in,  616. 
Bowling  Green,  evacuation  of,  498. 
Braddock,  General  Edward,  77. 
Bragg,  General  Braxton,  499,  504,  508,  534-8. 
Brandt,  Joseph,  14,  266,  267,  277. 
Brandywine,  battle  of,  229. 
Breckenridge,  John  C.,  475,  499,  508. 
Brewton's  Hill,  battle  of,  268. 
Brier  Creek,  battle  of,  271. 
Bristoe  Station,  action  at,  553. 
Brown,  John,  474,  477. 
Bryant,  William  Cullen,  467. 
Buchanan,  James,  475. 
Bucktails,  the  (see  Party). 
Buell,  General  D.  C.,  498,  504. 
Buena  Vista,  battle  of,  454. 
Bull  Run,  battle  of,  490. 
Bunker  Hill,  battle  of,  151. 
Burgoyne's  Campaign,  204-219. 
Burke,  Edmund,  140,  354. 
Burnside,  General  A.  E..  512,  527,  541. 


658 


INDEX. 


Burr,  Colonel  Aaron,  342,  347,  354,  362,  365. 

Butler,  John,  263,  266,  267. 

Butler,  Benjamin  F.,  488,  509,  572,  580,  607. 

CADWALLADER,  General  S.,  191,  196,  256. 

Caldwell,  Rev.  James,  298  ;  Mrs.,  299. 

Calhoun,  John  C.,  372,  400,  409,  417,  470. 

California,  admission  of,  464. 

Calvert,  George  (Lord  Baltimore),  41. 

Cambridge  settled,  46. 

Camden,  battle  of,  294. 

Campbell,  Col.  William  (American),  295,  313. 

Campbell,  Lieut.-Col.  (British),  267,  270. 

Capitol,  location  of  national,  337,  346  ;  rebuilding 
of,  415  ;  extension  of,  469. 

Carleton,  Sir  Guy,  Governor  of  Canada,  163,  165, 
203,  323. 

Carnifex  Ferry,  battle  at,  489. 

Carolinas,  settlement  of,  62  ;  war  in  the,  286. 

Carpets,  use  of,  353. 

Carrick's  Ford,  Battle  at,  489. 

Carteret,  Sir  George,  60. 

Carthage,  battle  of,  489. 

Cartier,  James,  29. 

Cass,  Lewis,  423,  432,  460. 

Castine,  attack  on  Fort,  276. 

Catholics,  the  Roman,  347. 

Caucus,  system  of  the,  364. 

Cedar  Creek,  battle  of,  576. 

Cedar  Mountain,  battle  of,  524. 

Cerro  Gordo,  capture  of,  457. 

Chambersburg,  burning  of,  574. 

Champe,  John,  the  spy,  304. 

Champion  Hills,  battle  of,  533. 

Champlain,  Samuel,  67. 

Chancellorsville,  battle  of,  542. 

Chantilly,  battle  of,  524. 

Charleston,  settlement  of,  63  ;  British  capture  of, 
284  ;  British  evacuate,  323  ;  fall  of,  585. 

Charlestown  settled,  46. 

Charter  Oak,  the,  54. 

Chase,  Salmon  P.,  485. 

Chattanooga,  battle  of,  536-7. 

Chatterton's  Hill,  attack  on,  184. 

Cheat  Mountain,  battle  of,  489. 

Chemung,  battle  of,  277. 

Cherry  Valley,  massacre  in,  266. 

Chicago,  settlement  of,  404. ;  fire  at,  615. 

Chickamauga,  battle  of,  534. 

Chickasaw,  Bayou,  attack  on,  509. 

Chippewa,  battle  of,  391. 

Cholera,  the  Asiatic,  425. 

Christian  Commission,  the,  598. 

Chrysler's  Field,  battle  of,  380. 

Clark,  Colonel  Geo.  R.,  265. 

Clay,  Henry,  Speaker  of  the  House,  372  ;  favors  a 
tariff,  401 ;  presidential  candidate,  409  ;  Sec.  of 
State,  412;  offers  tariff  compromise,  424  ;  pres 
idential  candidate,  426,  434,  443  ;  offers  Omni 
bus  bill,  463  ;  death,  469. 

Clinton,  DeWitt,  367,  372,  414. 

Clinton,  capture  of  Fort,  238. 

Clinton,  Governor  George,  200,  238,  363,  372. 

Clinton,  General  James,  238,  277. 

Clinton,  Sir  Henry,  151 ;  at  Bunker  Hill,  155 ;  at 
Charleston,  170 ;  at  Brooklyn,  178  ;  at  Newport, 
189  ;  ascends  Hudson,  238, 274 ;  at  Philadelphia, 
260 ;  at  Monmouth,  261 ;  at  Charleston,  284. 


Coal,  the  use  of,  348. 

Cobb,  Howell,  406,  476. 

Cockburn,  Admiral,  389,  393. 

Cold  Harbor,  battle  of,  571. 

Colfax,  Schuyler,  611,  620. 

Coligny,  Admiral,  29. 

Colleges,  founding  of,  89,  401. 

Colonial  Life,  84. 

Colorado,  admission  of,  619. 

Columbus,  Christopher,  21. 

Compromise,  the  Missouri,  406. 

Compromise,  the  tariff,  424. 

Commissioners,  Peace,  259,  267,  479. 

Committees  of  Correspondence,  143. 

Common  Sense,  Paine's,  172. 

Concord,  battle  of,  146. 

Confederation,  articles  of,  262,  307,  328. 

Congress,  a  Peace,  479. 

Congress,  Constitutional,  335,  337,  364,  462. 

Congress,  Continental,  144,  151,  161,  262. 

Connecticut,  settlement  of,  53. 

Connecticut  Farms,  burning  of,  299. 

Conscription,  Federal  and  Confederate,  555. 

Constitution,  the,  u  Old  Ironsides,"  377. 

Constitution,  formation  of,  331  ;  adoption  of,  333 ; 
amendments  to,  336,  361,  605,  606.  614. 

Continental  Currency,  283,  306. 

Convention,  the  Hartford,  395. 

Convention,  the  Constitutional,  332. 

Conway,  General  Thomas,  255-6. 

Cooper,  J.  Fenimore,  467. 

Corinth,  attack  on,  506. 

Cornwallis,  Earl,  at  Brooklyn,  178  ;  in  New  Jer 
sey,  178,  187  ;  at  Trenton,  197  ;  at  Camden, 
294 ;  in  North  Carolina,  295 :  pursues  Greene, 
309  ;  in  Virginia,  316. 

Corwin,  Thomas,  464. 

Cotton,  cultivation  of,  348. 

Cotton-gin,  the,  348. 

Cowpens,  battle  of,  308. 

Crawford,  William  H.,  400,  409. 

Crawford,  Geo.  W.,  461. 

Credit  Mobilier,  the,  618. 

Creek  Indians,  14,  388,  412. 

Cross-Keys,  affair  at,  520. 

Cross-Roads,  battle  of,  293. 

Crown  Point,  79,  80,  150. 

Cuba,  468. 

Currency,  Confederate,  530,  583. 

Currency,  Continental,  161,  283. 

Gushing,  Caleb,  442, 471. 

Custer,  General  G.  A.,  558,  591,  592,  618. 

DADE  Massacre,  the,  423. 

Dahlgren,  Ulric,  death  of,  559. 

Dallas,  George  M.,  442. 

Dana,  James  D.,  467. 

Danbury,  Tryon  at,  235. 

Darrah,  Lydia,  244. 

Dartmoor,  prison  at,  398. 

Davis,  Jefferson,  471,  479,  589,  594. 

Deane,  Silas,  200,  351. 

Dearborn,  Fort,  375,  404,  407. 

Dearborn,  General  Henry,  213,  355,  373,  377. 

Debt,  National,  597,  608. 

Decatur,  Lieutenant,  362,  378. 

Delaware,  Lord,  37. 

Democrats  (see  Party). 


INDEX. 


659 


Demoralization  of  the  People,  257. 

D'Estaing,  Count,  262,  279. 

Detroit,  373,  432. 

Dieskau,  Baron,  79. 

Donelson,  capture  of  Fort,  496-8. 

Dongan,  Governor,  58. 

Doniphan,  Colonel,  452. 

Donop,  Count,  191,  196,  241. 

Dorchester  Heights,  151,  167. 

Douglas,  Stephen  A.,  the  "  Little  Giant,"  472,  479, 

485,  607. 

Drake,  Sir  Francis,  31. 
Dranesville,  skirmish  at,  493 
Dred  Scott  Decision,  the,  476. 
Drummond,  William,  40. 
Dunmore,  Governor,  157,  159. 
Duplessis,  Captain,  241. 
Dupont,  Admiral  S.  F.,  554. 

EARLY,  General  Jubal  A.,  574.. 

Elizabethtown  settled,  60  ;  attacked,  200. 

Ellsworth,  Colonel  E.  E.,  488. 

Emancipation  Proclamation,  the,  531. 

Embargo  Act,  the,  367. 

Episcopalians,  the,  347. 

Ericsson,  John,  514. 

Erie  Canal,  the,  413. 

Erie,  capture  of  Fort,  391-3. 

Erie  Railway,  the,  468. 

Eutaw  Springs,  battle  of,  313. 

Ewell,  General  R.  S.,  550,  568,  589. 

Ewing,  Thomas,  461. 

FAIRFAX,  Lord  Thomas,  129. 

Fair  Oaks,  battle  of,  520. 

Fair,  the  World's,  471. 

Falmouth  burned,  157. 

Farragut,  Admiral  D.  G.,  383,  509,  579. 

Federalist,  the,  333. 

Federalists,  the  (see  Party). 

Fenians,  the,  610. 

Ferguson,  Major  Patrick,  265,  287,  295. 

Field,  Cyrus  W.,  609-10. 

Fillmore,  Millard,  460,  464. 

Fishdam  Creek,  skirmish  at,  297. 

Fisher,  capture  of  Fort,  580. 

Fishing  Creek,  battle  of,  295. 

Five  Forks,  battle  of,  588. 

Flag,  origin  of  American,  207,  403. 

Florida,  purchase  of,  404  ;  admission  of,  443. 

Floyd,  John  B.,  476,  497. 

Foote,  Commodore,  496,  503. 

Forrest,  N.  B.,  497,  567,  578. 

Forsyth,  John,  427,  486. 

France,  treaty  with,  259,  360. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  76,  87,  121,  139,  201,  332. 

Franklin,  General  W.  B.,  523,  526,  528. 

Franklin,  state  of,  341. 

Franklin,  battle  of,  566. 

Fraser,  General,  205,  215,  216. 

Frazier's  Farm,  battle  of,  523. 

Fredericksburg,  battle  of,  528. 

Freedman's  Bureau,  606. 

Free  Soilers,  the  (see  Party). 

Frelinghuysen,  Theodore,  443. 

Fremont.  Colonel  J.  C.,  452,  465,  475,  489,  520. 

Frobisher,  Martin,  31. 


Frolic,  capture  of,  378. 
Frye,  Colonel,  76. 
Fugitive  Slave  Law,  the,  466. 
Fulton,  Robert,  365. 

GAGE,  General,  139,  145,  146,  167. 

Gaines's  Mill,  battle  of,  522. 

Gallatin,  Albert,  355,  356,  369. 

Gansevoort,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  207. 

Garrison,  William  Lloyd,  424. 

Gaspee  burned,  141. 

Gates,  General  Horatio,  165,  191,  212,  294, 307. 

Geiger,  Emily,  313. 

Genet,  "  Citizen,"  338-9. 

Georgia,  settlement  of,  65. 

Gerry,  Elbridge,  332,  344,  372,  396. 

Gettysburg,  battle  of,  548-53. 

Gettysburg  Cemetery,  dedication  of,  556. 

Gibbes,  Robert,  story  of,  272. 

Gilbert,  Sir  Humphrey,  31. 

Gillmore,  General  Q.  A.,  512,  554. 

Goife,  Colonel  William,  51. 

Gourges,  Dominique  de,  31. 

Grant,  General  U.  S.,  at  Belmont,  490 ;  Fort  Don 
elson,  496 ;  Vicksburg,  533 ;  Chattanooga, 
535  ;  lieutenant-general,  560 ;  overland  cam 
paign,  567  ;  before  Richmond,  573  ;  supports 
Congress  against  Johnson,  607  ;  elected  Pres 
ident,  611  ;  re-elected,  616. 

Grasse,  Count  de,  318. 

Great  Bridge,  battle  at,  158. 

Greeley,  Horace,  429, 616-17. 

Greene,  General  Nathaniel,  151,  177,  186-7:  Bran 
dy  wine,  229  ;  quartermaster-general,  258 ; 
Monmouth,  260 ;  Quaker  Hill,  263  ;  Spring 
field,  299 ;  succeeds  Gates,  307  ;  retreat,  309 ; 
at  Guilford  Court-House,  311 ;  Eutaw  Springs, 
313  ;  Charleston,  323. 

Green  Spring,  battle  of,  317-18. 

Greenwich,  battle  of,  274. 

Grey,  "  No  Flint,"  231,  265. 

Grierson,  Colonel  B.  H.,  557. 

Griswold,  capture  of  Fort,  316. 

Guerriere,  the,  377. 

Guilford  Court-House,  battle  of,  311. 

HADLEY,  attack  on,  50. 

Hale,  Captain  Nathan,  181 ;  Col.  Nathan,  205, 656. 

Hale,  John  P.,  471. 

Hall,  Professor  James,  467. 

Halleck,  General  H.  W.,  489,  495,  502,  504. 

Hamlin,  Hannibal,  478. 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  320,  332,  333,  335,  336,  345, 

357i  36a- 

Hancock,  John,  139. 

Hancock,  General  W.  S.,  529,  549,  568,  570. 
Hanging  Rock,  battle  of,  293. 
Hanover  Court-House,  skirmish  at,  521. 
Hardee,  General  W.  J.,  499,  562,  585. 
Hard-shells  (see  Party). 
Harlem  Plains,  battle  of,  183. 
Harmar,  General,  337. 
Harper's  Ferry,  capture  of,  526. 
Harrison,  General  Wm.  H.,  370,  375,  431,  434,  438. 
Harrison's  Landing,  retreat  to,  522. 
Hart,  Nancy,  291. 
Hatteras,  expedition  to,  494. 


66o 


INDEX. 


Haverhill,  attack  on,  71. 

Haw  River,  battle  at,  310. 

Hawthorne,  Nathaniel,  467. 

Hayne,  execution  of  Colonel  Isaac,  313. 

Hayne,  Robert  Y.,  421. 

Heath,  General,  235. 

Heintzelman,  General  S.  P.,  490. 

Henry,  Patrick,  136,  138,  144,  333,  344- 

Henry  Affair,  the  ,^71^. 

Henry,  Joseph,  457.' 

Henry,  capture  of  Fort,  496. 

Herald,  the  New  York,  429. 

Herkimer,  General,  207. 

Hessians,  the,  188. 

Hill,  General  A.  P.,  522,  543,  588. 

Hobkirk's  Hill,  battle  of,  311. 

Holly  Springs,  capture  of  depot  at,  509. 

Hood,  General  J.  B.,  526,  561-2,  567. 

Hooker,  General  Joseph,  517,  526,  536. 

Hooker,  Thomas,  53. 

Horry,  Colonel,  288. 

Horse  Heads  named,  279. 

Horse  Neck,  battle  of,  273. 

Houston,  Sam.,  445. 

Howard,  General  O.  O.,  549,  561,  564. 

Howe,  General,  Boston,  151 ;  sails  to  Halifax, 
167  ;  Brooklyn,  176 ;  White  Plains,  184  ;  proc 
lamation,  189;  Brandywine,  228;  Philadel 
phia,  232  ;  Whitemarsh,  243 ;  resigns,  259. 

Howe,  Admiral  (Lord),  176,  190,  263. 

Hubbardton,  battle  of,  205. 

Hudson,  Henry,  55,  67,  101. 

Huguenots,  the,  63. 

Hull,  General  William,  373,  374. 

Hull,  Captain  Isaac,  377. 

Hunkers  (see  Party). 

ILLINOIS,  admission  of,  404. 

Impressment  of  Seamen,  369. 

Independence,  Declaration  of,  173 ;  Signed,   175 ; 

first  celebration  of,  204. 
Indiana,  admission  of,  400. 
Indians,  North  American,  13. 
Internal  Improvements,  413. 
Iowa,  admission  of,  460. 
Irving,  Washington,  366,  467. 
Island  No.  10,  capture  of,  503. 
Israel,  Hannah  Irwin,  230. 
luka,  action  at,  506. 

JACKSON,  Andrew,  293  ;  in  Alabama,  388-9 ;  New 
Orleans,  396  ;  Florida,  403  ;  presidential  can 
didate,  409  ;  chosen  President,  417. 

Jackson,  T.  J.  (''Stonewall"),  at  Bull  Run,  490; 
the  Shenandoah,  520;  Mechanicsville,  522; 
Chancellorsville,  542  ;  death,  545-6. 

Jamestown,  settlement  of,  34. 

Japan,  treaty  with,  469. 

Jasper,  Sergeant,  171,  268,  279. 

Jay,  John,  333,  335,  338. 

Jefferson,  Thomas,  writes  Declaration  of  Inde 
pendence,  172  ;  elected  Vice-President,  342  : 
elected  President,  347,  354  ;  death,  415. 

Jesuit  Missionaries,  u,  67. 

Johnson,  Sir  William,  79,  266-7, 

Johnson,  Sir  John,  266-7,  277- 

Johnson,  Richard  M.,  431, 


Johnson,  Reverdy,  461. 

Johnson,  Andrew,  inaugurated  President,  603; 
reconstruction  policy,  604 ;  impeached,  607. 

Johnston,  General  Albert  Sydney,  476,  498,  500. 

Johnston,  General  Joseph  E.,  Bull  Run,  490; 
Peninsular  campaign,  516  ;  wounded,  521 ;  at 
Jackson,  533  ;  Atlanta  campaign,  560  ;  super 
seded  by  Hood,  561  ;  North  Carolina,  586 ; 
surrender,  593. 

Jones,  Paul,  208,  281. 


KALB,  Baron  de,  202,  293,  294. 

Kansas,  472,  474. 

Kearney,  General  Stephen  Watts,  452. 

Kearney,  General  Philip,  517,  521,  523,  524. 

Kearsarge,  the,  581. 

Kegs,  battle  of  the,  248. 

Kelly's  Ford,  skirmish  at,  553. 

Kenesaw  ML,  battle  of,  561. 

Kentucky,  admission  of,  340. 

Kettle  Creek,  battle  of,  270. 

Kidd,  Captain,  59. 

Kieft,  Governor,  57. 

Kilpatrick,  General  Judson  C.,  558,  564- 

King,  Rufus,  332,  333,  364,  400. 

King's  Mountain,  battle  of,  296. 

Kingston  burned,  239. 

Kitchel,  Anna,  283. 

Know  Nothings  (see  Party). 

Knowlton,  Colonel,  183. 

Knox,  General  Henry,  233,  320,  335. 

Knoxville,  siege  of,  541. 

Knyphausen,  General  Baron,  297.299. 

Kosciusko,  Thaddeus,  202. 

Kossuth,  Louis,  469. 

Koszta,  Martin,  472. 

LAFAYETTE,  Marquis  de,  201,  229,  255,  259,  315,  410. 

Lake  Erie,  battle  of,  383,  387. 

La  Salle,  Cavalier  Robert  de,  68,  75. 

Laurens,  Colonel,  279,  320,  323. 
Lawrence  sacked,  558. 

Lee,  General  Robert  E.,  457  ;  joins  Virginia,  488 ; 
command  of  army,  521 ;  enters  Maryland, 
525;  Chancellorsville,  542;  enters  Maryland, 
547  ;  overland  campaign,  568 ;  before  Rich 
mond,  573  ;  retreat,  590 ;  surrender,  593. 

Lee,  Captain  Henry,  250,  276,  300,  310-13. 

Lee,  Fort,  abandoned,  187. 

Lee,  Major-General  Charles,  157  ;  at  Charleston, 
170;  New  York,  176;  White  Plains,  185: 
captured,  187  ;  exchanged,  238  ;  Monmouth, 
260;  dismissed,  262,  294. 

Lee,  Richard  Henry,  144,  172. 

Leisler,  Captain,  59.  - 

Leon,  Ponce  de,  27. 

Lexington,  battle  of,  146. 

Lexington,  capture  of,  489. 

Lewis  and  Clarke,  expedition  of,  361. 

Liberty,  Sons  of,  and  Liberty  Tree,  137. 

Library  of  Congress,  358. 

Life,  Colonial,  84. 

Life,  close  of  eighteenth  century,  349-353- 

Light-Horse  Harry  (see  Captain  Henry  Lee). 

Lincoln,  General  Benjamin,  212,  270,  279,  284,  320, 
321- 


INDEX. 


66 1 


Lincoln,  Abraham,  elected  President,  479  ;  inau 
guration,  484 ;  calls  for  troops,  488 ;  issues 
emancipation  proclamation,  531  ;  at  Gettys 
burg  dedication,  556;  re-elected  President, 
575  ;  assassination,  595. 

Lind,  Jennie,  468. 

Little  Belt,  the,  369. 

Livingston,  William,  332,  360. 

Loco-Focos,  the  (see  Party). 

Longfellow,  Henry  W.,  467. 

Longstreet,  General  James  S.,  517,  520,  522,  534, 
541,  549,  569. 

Long  Island,  battle  of,  177. 

Lookout  Mountain,  battle  of,  536-7. 

Lopez,  General,  468. 

Louisburg  captured,  74,  80. 

Louisiana,  purchase  of,  360 ;  admission  of,  371  ; 

secession  of,  479. 
Lovelace,  Governor,  87. 
Lundy's  Lane,  battle  of,  391. 
Lyon,  Captain  Nathaniel,  489. 

MADISON,  James,  331,  332,  355,  368. 

Magruder,  General  J.  B.,  489,  516,  547. 

Maine,  admission  of,  405. 

Majorabanks,  Major,  315. 

Malvern  Hill,  battle  of,  523. 

Manassas,  battles  of,  490,  524. 

Manning,  story  of,  314. 

Map  of  Boston  and  Concord,  148 ;  Bunker  Hill, 
153  ;  Burgoyne's  Campaign,  219  ;  Carolinas 
and  Georgia,  272 ;  Chattanooga,  536 ;  Civil 
War,  East,  505;  West,  563;  Colonies,  138; 
Discoveries,  29 ;  Donaldson's  Point,  503 ; 
French  and  Indian  Wars,  72  ;  Gettysburg, 
549;  Hudson  River,  185;  Long  Island,  178; 
Mexican  War,  454  ;  New  England,  47 ;  New 
Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  230 ;  Peninsula, 
516  ;  Richmond,  campaign  before,  569  ;  Terri 
torial  Growth,  332  ;  Vicksburg,  534  ;  War  of 
1812-14,  374  ;  World,  23-4  ;  Yorktown,  320. 

Marcy,  Governor  William  L.,  358,  471. 

Marie  Antoinette,  259. 

Marion,  General  Francis,  287,  296,  312,  313. 

Marquette,  James,  68,  75. 

Marshall,  John,  344,  359,  401,  428. 

Martin,  Governor,  168. 

Maryland,  settlement  of,  41. 

Mason  and  Slidell  Affair,  the,  494. 

Masonic  Party,  the  Anti-  (see  Party). 

Massachusetts  Bay,  settlement  of,  46. 

Maximilian  in  Mexico,  608. 

McAllister,  capture  of  Fort,  565. 

McClellan,  General  George  B.,  supersedes  Scott, 
492-3 ;  Peninsular  Campaign,  515 ;  super 
sedes  Hooker,  525  ;  at  Antietam,  526 ;  is  su 
perseded  by  Burnside,  527. 

McClernand,  General  John  A.,  496,  509. 

McCrea,  Jane,  murder  of,  211. 

McCulloch,  General  Benjamin,  511. 

McDonough,  Commodore,  392. 

McDowell,  General  Irvin,  490,  519. 

McHenry,  James,  344. 

McHenry,  bombardment  of  Fort,  394. 

McPherson,  General  James  B.,  560-2. 

Meade,  General  George  G.,  supersedes  McClel 
lan,  548 ;  at  Mine  Run,  553-4  ;  overland  cam 
paign,  567  ;  before  Richmond,  587. 


Mechanicsville,  battle  of,  522. 

Mecklenburg  Declaration,  160. 

Meigs,  Colonel  Return  Jonathan,  at  Sag  Harbor 
237- 

Meigs,  siege  of  Fort,  381. 

Mercer,  General  Hugh,  197,  198. 

Mercer,  attack  on  Fort,  241. 

Meridian  Expedition,  577. 

Merrimac,  the,  513. 

Meteoric  Shower,  427. 

Methodists,  the,  347. 

Mexico,  battles  before,  458. 

Mexico,  treaty  with,  459. 

Michigan,  admission  of,  431. 

Mifflin,  Fort,  242. 

Mifflin,  General,  180,  254. 

Miller,  Colonel,  391,  420. 

Mine  Explosion  before  Petersburg,  574. 

Mine  Run,  affair  at,  554. 

Minnesota,  admission  of,  476. 

Mischianza  at  Philadelphia,  259. 

Missionary  Society,  Foreign,  402. 

Mississippi,  admission  of,  404. 

Missouri,  admission  of,  406,  410. 

Missouri  Compromise,  406. 

Mobile  settled,  68,  405. 

Modoc  Indians,  the,  618. 

Monitor,  the,  513. 

Monk's  Corner,  battle  of,  284. 

Monmouth,  battle  of,  260. 

Monroe  Doctrine,  the,  409. 

Monroe,  Fortress,  488. 

Monroe,  James,  333,  360,  400,  423. 

Montcalm,  Marquis  de,  79. 

Montgomery,  General  Richard,  163. 

Montgomery,  Fort,  taken,  238. 

Monterey,  capture  of,  451. 

Monticello,  Jefferson's  home  at,  415. 

Moore,  Colonel  Andrew,  168. 

Moore's  Creek,  battle  of,  169. 

Morgan,  General  John  H.,  558. 

Morgan,  General  Daniel,  163,  215,  216,  307. 

Mormons,  the,  440,  476. 

Morris,  Gouverneur,  332,  414. 

Morris,  Robert,  195,  298,  307,  332-3. 

Morristown,  army  at,  283. 

Morse,  Professor  Samuel  F.  B.,  442. 

Motte,  Fort,  312  ;  Mrs.,  312. 

Moultrie,  Colonel  William,  170,  270. 

Moultrie,  Fort,  170,  284. 

Mound  Builders,  the,  9. 

Murfreesborough,  battle  of,  508. 

Murray,  Robert,  182. 

Musgrove's  Mill,  storming  of,  295. 

Mutiny  Act,  136. 

Mutiny  of  Connecticut  troops,  298  ;  at  Morris- 
town,  306 ;  of  New  Jersey  troops,  307. 

NAPOLEON  BUONAPARTE,  345,  367. 
Nashville,  battle  of,  567. 
Navigation  Acts,  38. 
Nebraska,  admission  of,  611. 
Necessity,  Fort,  76. 
Negro  Soldiers,  531. 
Nelson's  Ferry,  skirmish  at,  295. 
Nevada,  admission  of,  611. 
New  London  burned,  316. 
New  Madrid,  capture  of,  503. 


662 


INDEX. 


New  York,  settlement  of,  55  ;  evacuation  of,  323  ; 

fire  in,  429  ;  riot  in,  556. 
New  Netherland,  56,  60. 
New  Orleans,  capture  of,  510. 
New  England  in  Seventeenth  Century,  89. 
New  Haven,  attack  on,  274. 
Newtown  (Elmira)  burned,  278. 
Niagara  Falls,  ship  sent  over,  420. 
Ninety-Six,  siege  of,  312. 
Norfolk  burned,  159. 
North,  Lord,  259,  323. 
Northmen,  the,  20. 
Northwestern  Territory,  331-2. 
Nullification,  416,  424. 

OGLETHORPE,  James  Edward,  65. 

Ohio,  admission  of,  359. 

Omnibus  Bill,  the,  463. 

Orangeburg,  Fort,  captured,  312. 

Oregon,  boundary  of,  448  ;  admission  of,  477. 

Oriskany,  battle  of,  207. 

Osceola,  a  Seminole  chief,  429. 

Oswego,  capture  of  Fort,  79,  391. 

Otis,  James,  135,  139,  141. 

Overland  Campaign,  the,  567. 

Oyster  Point  (Charleston),  63. 

PACIFIC  RAILROAD,  612. 

Paine,  Thomas,  172. 

Palo  Alto,  battle  of,  449. 

Panic  of  1833,  426  ;  of  1837,  433  ;  of  1873,  6l8- 

Paoli,  massacre  at,  231. 

Parker,  Admiral,  170. 

Parties,  Political : 

Anti-Masonic,  nominates  Wirt  and  Ellmaker, 

426. 
Anti-Slavery,  or  Liberty,  nominates  Birney, 

434  ;  Birney,  443. 

Barnburner— anti-slavery  Democrats,  357. 
Bucktail,  357. 

Constitutional  Union,  nominates  Bell  and  Ev 
erett,  478. 

Democratic,  336  ;  nominates  Jackson  and  Cal- 
houn,  417  ;  Jackson  and  Van  Buren,  426 ; 
Van  Buren  and  Johnson,  431 ;  Van  Buren, 
434  ;  Polk  and  Dallas,  442  ;  Cass  and  But 
ler,  460 ;  Pierce  and  King,  470  ;  Buchanan 
and  Breckenridge,  475  ;  Breckenridge  and 
Lane,  Douglas  and  Johnson,  478-9  ;  Mc- 
Clellan  and  Pendleton,  575  ;  Seymour  and 
Blair,  611  ;  Greeley  and  Brown,  616. 
Federal,  336 ;  nominates  Adams  and  Pinck- 
ney,  342 ;  Adams  and  Pinckney,  346 ; 
Pinckney  and  King,  364 ;  Pinckney  and 
King,  368 ;  Clinton  and  Ingersoll,  372 ; 
King,  400. 
Free  Soil,  nominates  Van  Buren  and  Adams, 

460 ;  Hale  and  Julian,  471. 
Hard-shell — extreme    Democrats,  357. 
Hunker— pro-slavery  Democrats,  357. 
Know-Nothing,  or  American,  nominates  Fill- 
more  and  Donelson,  474-5 ;  Bell  and  Ev 
erett,  478. 
Loco-Focos,  357. 

Republican  (Democratic),  336,  357  :  nominates 
Washington,  338 ;  Jefferson,  342  ;  Jefferson 
and  Burr,  347  ;  Jefferson  and  Clinton,  363  ; 
Madison  and  Clinton,  368  ;  Madison  and 


Gerry,  372  ;   Monroe  and  Tompkins,  400 ; 
Monroe    and    Tompkins,    406 ;    Adams, 
Crawford,  Calhoun,  Clay,  Jackson,  409. 
Republican,  the  Liberal,  nominates  Greeley 

and  Brown,  616. 
Republican,  the  National,  nominates   J.  Q. 

Adams,  417  ;  Clay  and  Sergeant,  426. 
Silver-Grey  Whig,  464. 
Soft-shell—moderate  Democrats,  357. 
The    Republican,    nominates    Fremont    and 
Dayton,  475  ;    Lincoln  and  Hamlin,  478  : 
Lincoln  and    Johnson,   575 ;    Grant   and 
Colfax,  6n  ;  Grant  and  Wilson,  616. 
Whig,  427  ;  nominates  Harrison,  McLean,  and 
Webster,  431 ;   Harrison  and  Tyler,  434 ; 
Clay  and  Frelinghuysen,  443  ;  Taylor  and 
Fillmore,  460  ;  Scott  and  Graham,  470. 

Partisan  Warfare,  286. 

Patrons  of  Industry,  619. 

Paulus  Hook,  capture  of,  276. 

Peacemaker,  explosion  of  the,  442. 

Pea  Ridge,  battle  of,  511. 

Peninsular  Campaign,  the,  515. 

Penn,  William,  60. 

Pennsylvania,  settlement  of,  60. 

Perry,  Oliver  H.,  383. 

Perryville,  skirmish  at,  504. 

Philip,  King,  13,  49. 

Pickens,  Colonel,  270. 

Pickens,  Fort,  480. 

Pickens,  General  Andrew,  287,  310,  312,  313. 

Pickering,  Timothy,  344. 

Pierce,  General  Franklin,  470. 

Pike,  General  Z.  N.,  380. 

Pinckney,  C.  C.,  332,  344,  346. 

Pitcher,  Molly,  261. 

Pitt,  William,  79. 

Pittsburg  Landing  (Shiloh),  battle  of,  499. 

Plattsburg,  battle  of,  392-3. 

Pleasant  Hill,  battle  of,  578. 

Pleasanton,  General  Alfred,  543. 

Plymouth  Colony,  settlement  of,  42. 

Pocahontas,  13,  36. 

Poe,  Edgar  Allan,  467. 

Polk,  James  Knox,  443. 

Polk,  Bishop,  490,  499,  534. 

Pontiac,  13,  82. 

u  Poor  Richard's  Almanac,"  76. 

Pope,  General  John,  503,  511,  524,  525. 

Population,  centre  of,  614. 

Porter,  General  Fitz  John,  519,  522. 

Porter,  Captain  W.  D.,  496. 

Porter,  Captain  David,  377,  383. 

Porter,  Admiral  D.  D.,  580. 

Port  Gibson,  battle  of,  533. 

Port  Hudson,  fall  of,  534. 

Portland,  fire  in,  611. 

Port  Royal  (Annapolis)  captured,  74. 

Port  Royal  Expedition,  512. 

Port  Republic,  action  at,  520. 

Potts,  Isaac,  248. 

Powhatan,  13,  36,  38,  49. 

Prehistoric  Peoples,  9. 

Presbyterians,  the,  347. 

Prescott,  Colonel  William,  151. 

Prescott,  General,  captured,  238. 

Prescott,  William  H.,  467. 

President,  the  frigate,  369,  372. 


INDEX. 


663 


Preston,  Wm.  B.,  461. 
Prevost,  General,  270,  272,  279. 
Price,  General  Stirling,  506,  511. 
Princeton,  battle  of,  197. 
Prison  Ships,  179. 
Privateers,  Confederate,  493,  581. 
Proctor,  General,  381,  382,  387. 
Proviso,  the  Wilmot,  453. 
Pulaski,  Count,  202,  235,  265,  279. 
Pulaski,  capture  of  Fort,  513. 
Putnam,  General  Israel,   149,  155,  168,  177,  182, 
191,  273. 

QUAKER  HILL,  battle  of,  263. 
Quebec  captured,  82. 
Quincy,  Josiah,  142,  372,  390. 
Queenstown  Heights,  battle  of,  375. 
Quesne,  Fort  du,  76,  80. 

RAILROADS,  416,  612. 

Raisin,  massacre  at  the,  381. 

Raleigh,  Sir  Walter,  31-2. 

Randolph,  Edmund,  332,  335. 

Randolph,  John,  364,  413. 

Rawdon,  Lord,  311,  312. 

Rebellion,  the  Whiskey,  338  ;  Dorr's,  440. 

Redbank,  Fort,  243. 

Redemptioners,  the,  56. 

Red  Jacket,  14,  277. 

Red  River  Expedition,  577. 

Reed,  Colonel  Joseph,  191,  196. 

Regulators,  the,  141. 

Rensselaer,  General  Van,  373,  375. 

Republicans  (see  Party}. 

Resaca  de  la  Palma,  battle  of,  449. 

Reynolds,  General  John  F.,  548. 

Ribaut,  Jean,  30. 

Rich  Mountain,  skirmish  at,  489. 

Richmond,  fire  at,  370 ;  capture  of,  589-90. 

Riedesel,  journal  of  Madame,  220-6. 

Roanoke  Island,  colony  at,  31  ;  expedition  to,  512. 

Rochambeau,  Count  de,  318. 

Rocky  Mount,  attack  on,  293. 

Rolfe,  John,  36. 

Rosecrans,  General  Wm.  S.,  504,  534. 

Rotation  in  office  introduced,  419. 

Rush,  Benjamin,  255. 

Russy,  capture  of  Fort  de,  577. 

Rutledge,  Governor  John,  171,  332. 

SABINE  CROSS-ROADS  (Mansfield),  battle  of,  578. 

Sackett's  Harbor,  attack  on,  380. 

San  Francisco,  466. 

Sanitary  Commission,  the,  598. 

Santa  Anna,  445,  453. 

Santee,  battle  at  ford  of,  285. 

Santo  Domingo,  annexation  of,  614. 

Saratoga,  battles  of,  213-15. 

Savage's  Station,  battle  of,  523. 

Savannah,  268,  278,  323,  566. 

Schenectady,  burning  of,  70. 

Schuyler,  Fort,  207,  209. 

Schuyler,  General  Philip,  205,  206,  212, 414  :  anec 
dote  of  Mrs.,  212. 

Scofield,  General  John  M.,  561,  566,  581. 

Scott,  General  Winfield,  Queenstown,  375  ;  Chip- 
pewa,  391  ;  presidential  candidate,  434,  470 ; 
Mexico,  457  ;  Civil  War,  484,  490,  493. 


Sedgwick,  General  John,  521,  542-4,  549, 568,  570. 

Seminole  Indians,  14,  403,  429, 

Semmes,  Captain  R.,  493,  581. 

Senecas,  the, 278. 

Seven-Days  Battles,  522. 

Seven  Pines,  battle  of,  520. 

Sevier,  Governor  John,  295, 341. 

Sewall,  Judge  Stephen,  52. 

Seward,  Wm.  Hr,  426,  463,  485. 

Sewing  Machine,  the,  462. 

Shaw,  Colonel  Robert  G.,  554. 

Sheridan,  General  Phil.  H.,  508,  571,  576,  584,  587, 

590,  618. 

Sherman,  General  T.  W.,  494. 
Sherman,  General  W.  T.,  at  Pittsburg  Landing, 

500;    Chickasaw  Bayou,  509;    Chattanooga, 

536 ;  Knoxville,  541  ;  March  to  Atlanta,  560 ; 

March  to  the  Sea,  564  ;  in  Carolina,  584. 
Shiloh  (Pittsburg  Landing),  499. 
Sickles,  General  Daniel  E.,  543,  549. 
Sigel,  General  Franz,  511,  572. 
Silliman,  Professor  Benjamin,  467. 
Silver-Greys,  the  (see  Party). 
Skippack  Creek,  Washington  at,  233. 
Slemmer,  Lieutenant  A.  J.,  480. 
Slocum,  Mrs.,  169. 
Slocum,  General  Henry  W.,  544. 
Slocumb,  Mrs.,  289. 
Smith,  Captain  John,  34,  56. 
Smith,  Robert,  355,  369. 
Smith,  General  A.  J.,  578. 
Smith,  General  C.  F.,  498. 
Smith,  General  Kirby,  504,  578,  594. 
Smith,  General  W.  S.,  577,  478. 
Smithsonian  Institution,  the,  431. 
Soft-shells  (see  Party). 
Soto,  Ferdinand  de,  27,  28. 
Southard,  Sam.  L.,  40x3,  412. 
South  Mountain,  battle  of,  526. 
Spain,  treaty  with,  339. 
Spy  hanged,  240. 
Stamp  Act,  135,  139. 
Stanton,  Edwin  M.,  486,  620. 
Stark,  General  John,  209. 
St.  Clair,  General  Arthur,  204,  337. 
Steadman,  attack  on  Fort,  587. 
Steam  Navigation,  365,  434. 
Steele,  General  Fred.,  578. 
Steele,  John,  53  ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  309. 
Steele,  Salmon,  anecdote  of,  155. 
Stephens,  Alexander  H.,  479. 
Steuben,  Baron,  256,  257,  329. 
Stirling,  General  (Lord),  177,  260,  297. 
St.  Leger,  Colonel,  206,  207. 
St.  Louis,  410. 

Stoddart,  Benjamin,  345,  355. 
Stoneman,  General  Geo.  D.,  558,  584. 
Stonington  bombarded,  395. 
Stono  Ferry,  battle  of,  272. 
Stony  Point,  capture  of,  275. 
Stowe,  Mrs.  Harriet  Beecher,  467. 
Streight,  Colonel  A.  D.,  557. 

Stuart,  General  J.  E.  B.,  521,  543,  548,553,  5691 57*. 
Stuyvesant,  Governor,  57. 
Sugar  House,  the  Old,  298. 
Sullivan,  General  John,  177,  192,  228,  262,  277. 
Sumner,  Charles,  468,  472. 
Sumner,  General  Edwin,  521,  526,  529. 


664 


INDEX. 


Sumter,  attack  on  Fort,  486,  554,  555. 
Sumter,  General  Thomas,  287,  313. 
Sun,  the  New  York,  428. 
Sunbury,  capture  of,  270. 

TALBOT,  Silas,  fires  Renomme,  182. 

Tammany  Society,  the,  339. 

Taney,  Roger  B.,  423,  428,  476. 

Tariff,  the,  416  ;  compromise,  424. 

Tarleton,  Colonel,  284,  287,  296,  297,  308,  317. 

Taylor,  Zachary,  430,  448,  460. 

Tecumseh,  13,  370,  381,  387. 

Telegraph,  the  Magnetic,  442  ;  the  Submarine,  609. 

Tennessee,   admission  of,  341 ;   restored   to  the 

Union,  606. 

Territory,  Northwestern,  331. 
Terry,  General  A.  H.,  580,  586. 
Texas,  admission  of,  443. 
Thames,  battle  of  the,  387. 
Thomas,  General  George  H.  ("  Old  Pap  Safety"), 

Logan's    Cross-Roads,    496 ;     Chickamauga, 

534,  567- 

Ticonderoga,  Fort,  80,  150,  204. 

Tippecanoe,  370,  434. 

Tompkins,  Daniel  D.,  400,  401,  406. 

Treaty  of  Paris,  323  ;  with  England,  338  ;  with 
France,  360 ;  the  Ashburton,  439  :  Guadalupe 
Hidalgo,  459 ;  Clayton-Bulwer,  464 ;  Gads- 
den,  472  ;  Washington,  615. 

Trenton,  battle  of,  190. 

Tribune,  the  New  York,  429. 

Tryon,  Governor,  141,  159,  203,  235,  274. 

Tweed,  Wm.  M.,  615. 

Tyler,  John,  434,  438,  479. 

UMBRELLAS  first  used,  122. 
Unitarians,  the,  347. 

VALLEY  FORGE,  245-8. 

Van  Buren,  Martin,  414,  419,  426,  431,  460. 

Van  Dorn,  General  Earl,  506,  511. 

Vera  Cruz,  capture  of,  457. 

Verazzani,  28. 

Vermont,  admission  of,  339. 

Vernon,  Mount,  343. 

Vespucci,  Amerigo,  26. 

Vicksburg,  capture  of,  534. 

Virginia,  settlement  of,  34. 

WADSWORTH,  General  James  S.,  569. 

Wagner,  attack  on  Fort,  554-5. 

Waldron,  Major,  70. 

Walker,  Wm.,  474. 

Wallace,  General  Lew,  497,  500,  504. 

War,  Black  Hawk,  425  ;  Civil,  481 ;  Colonial,  67 ; 
Creek,  388,  412  ;  1812-14,  372  ;  French  and  In 
dian,  68  ;  King  George's,  68  ;  King  Philip's, 
51  ;  King  William's,  71  ;  Mexican,  448 ;  "  Pa 
triot,"  433  ;  Pequod,  53  ;  Pontiac's,  83 ;  Queen 
Anne's,  68  ;  Revolutionary,  131  ;  Seminole, 
403,  429. 

Ward,  General  Artemas,  151. 

Warner,  Colonel  Seth,  151,  205,  209. 

Warren,  death  of  General  Joseph,  155. 


Warren,  General  Gouverneur  K.,  550,  553,  568,  588. 

Washington,  capture  of  Fort,  186. 

Washington,  Captain  Wm.,  193,  307,  308,  311,  313. 

Washington,  the  capital  at,  337,  346,  359,  415,  469. 

Washington,  treaty  of,  615. 

Washington,  George,  in  French  and  Indian  War, 
75  ;  at  Mount  Vernon,  129  ;  elected  command- 
er-in-chief,  151  ;  at  Cambridge,  156  ;  at  Brook 
lyn,  180  ;  at  New  York,  182  ;  in  New  Jersey, 
187  ;  crosses  the  Delaware,  191 ;  a  dictator, 
194 ;  at  Trenton  and  Princeton,  196-7 ;  at 
Middlebrook,  226  :  anecdote  of,  227 ;  at  White- 
marsh,  243  ;  at  Valley  Forge,  245  ;  at  Brandy- 
wine,  228-9  '»  &t  Monmouth,  260  ;  at  Spring 
field,  299  ;  resignation  of,  328 ;  at  Newburg, 
329  ;  elected  President,  334  ;  private  life,  334  ; 
farewell  address,  342  ;  levees,  343 ;  death  of,  345. 

Waxhaw  Creek,  battle  of,  285. 

Wayne,  General  Anthony,  229,  260,  275,  337. 

Webster,  Daniel,  421,  439,  464,  469. 

Weed,  Thurlow,  426. 

Weitzel,  General  Godfrey,  580. 

Wesley,  John  and  Charles,  66. 

West  Point,  academy  at,  358. 

Whigs,  the  (see  Party). 

White,  Colonel,  anecdote  of,  280. 

Whitefield,  George,  66,  74. 

White  Plains,  battle  of,  184. 

Whittier,  John  G.,  467. 

Wilderness,  battle  of,  568. 

Willard,  Mrs.  Emma,  402. 

Wilkes,  Captain,  in  Trent  Affair,  494. 

Wilkinson,  General  James,  365,  380. 

Willett,  Colonel,  207-8. 

Williams,  Roger,  53. 

William  Henry,  massacre  at  Fort,  79. 

Williams,  Colonel,  295,  309, 313. 

Williamsburg,  powder  seized  at,  157. 

Williamsburg,  battle  of,  517. 

Wilmington,  capture  of,  580. 

Wilson,  Henry,  616. 

Wilson,  General  James  H.,  567,  584. 

Wilson's  Creek,  battle  of,  489. 

Winthrop,  Governor,  46,  54,  94. 

Winthrop,  Major  Theodore,  489. 

Wirt,  Wm.,  401,  412,  426. 

Wisconsin,  admission  of,  460. 

Wise,  Governor  Henry  A.,  474. 

Witchcraft,  Salem,  51. 

Wolcott,  Oliver,  344. 

Wolfe,  General  James,  80,  82. 

Wool,  General  John  E.,  375,  453. 

Wooster,  General  David,  164,  236. 

Wright,  Sir  James,  270. 

Wright's  Bluff,  capture  of,  312. 

Wright,  Silas,  442. 

Wright,  General  H.  G.,  576. 

Wyoming,  massacre  of,  263. 

YORK,  capture  of,  379. 
York,  Duke  of,  58-9. 
Yorktown,  siege  of,  319,  516. 
Young,  Brigham,  441. 
Young's  House,  attack  on,  298. 


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